Hakumei Hollow
by ancient-relic
Summary: Kagome is dead. She resides in the Soul Society, two sides of her soul forever destined to clash. When the council learns of her strange powers, the hunt begins; every reaper for themselves. Yet little do they know, Kagome's got plans of her own...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Should I really be posting another story?

Maa...

BUT I WANT TO!!! So here goes nothing...

This, dear reader, is a Bleach/InuYasha crossover, taking place in the Bleach universe. I have planned for this to be a Kagome/Byakuya pairing, and I can't see that changing. I am unsure of which characters are going to appear from "InuYasha", but I know for a fact that Sesshomaru will be making an appearance.

As for the rest, I'm completely winging this.

So I hope it turns out realitively well...

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**Hakumei Hollow**

**Chapter One: Hanshou**

**By ancient-relic**

_She sat by herself, swinging her feet over the edge of the magnificent scaffold. Anyone who might have looked would have seen her, a shadow darker than the sky, a flash of pink the only sign that there was anything more than darkness above the scaffold._

Yoruchi stared at the dark spot above the scaffold. However, she could do nothing more than look, when it moved and disappeared in the strange burst of pink light.

A wide grin stretched across her face, as if she had just remembered something that she had forgotten long, long ago. Turning away, she bounded off to find Urahara, in order to tell him the great news.

::-::-:: **::-::-::** ::-::-::

Kagome whistled to herself idly, as she walked forwards. There was nothing but darkness surrounding her- sand under her feet, and black rocks jutting out sporadically being the only two things that decorated the black landscape.

A dark figure moved from behind a large outcropping ahead of her, but Kagome didn't quell her pace. Instead, she moved towards it, and intended to go right past it, when a gravelly voice and an armored, clawed hand stopped her.

"_What are you doing here, trespassing in this realm? Are you looking to be eaten?"_

Kagome looked up to the great creature, eyeing the hole in the center of its chest, before taking in the grotesque insect-like mask that covered its face.

Or what had once been its face, she thought idly.

"_Your soul smells delicious,_" The thing licked its lips with a serrated tongue.

"It is not my soul you smell," Kagome said firmly, looking up at the Hollow with a red gleam in her brown eyes. "It is my _power._"

Reaching behind her, she pulled out an oblong shaped thing, covered in bandages. It was at least her height, if not a little shorter, and it was twice as thick as her arm.

"_Who are you?"_ the Hollow asked, hunger glittering in its eyes. _"I would know the name of every delicious soul I eat."_

"I am the one they call Hakumei," she said darkly, her eyes flashing red. "And contrary to any thought you may have of eating me, I assure you it will be the other way around."

With a deft twist of her right arm, Kagome unsheathed her blade, and the Hollow found himself staring at the end of a broadsword with a hooked point, and a ring through the other side.

Kagome watched as the Hollow looked fearfully at her, its eyes moving nervously from her face, to the tip of her blade, which was resting centimeters from it's mask.

There was a sudden darkness that obscured her vision, before it dispersed, and Kagome knew that her own jeweled hollow mask had formed on her face. She kept it atop her head, but when she drew her blade, it always coalesced on her face, as if in response to the wave of power her sword would emit.

"Do you know what I'm famous for?" Kagome asked, red eyes flashing from her mask.

The Hollow did not respond.

"Do you know what my _blade_ is famous for?" she asked again, a grin spreading across her face. Combined with the jagged end of her mask that allowed her mouth to be visible, she knew that she had secured her kill with the fear that was rolling off the Hollow in waves.

Still, the Hollow said nothing.

Lazily moving the tip of her sword down to the hole in the Hollow's chest, she poked the blade through, enlarging the hole as she did so. The Hollow screamed in pain, but its body had long ago frozen, leaving Kagome to enjoy the ringing cries of pain her victim was making.

Finally, after her sword's slow descent through the Hollow, she stopped. The Hollow stopped screaming, but it was followed by a roar, as Kagome used the hook to embed her sword in the rest of the Hollow, via its hole. Then, with a smug grin, she yanked her sword upwards with a strength mismatched with her fragile stature, and the Hollow was ripped up the middle, his mask spitting, and falling to the ground, with his body.

"_Suraisu, ken no za tenrai-tasogare._"

Instead of the Hollow disappearing, a bluish-pink flame surrounded the body, and a wisp-like, silvery substance rose from the hole in the Hollow's chest. It was tainted black, but that didn't seem to deter Kagome. In fact, the sight seemed to make her happy, and the wisp floated for a moment in front of her, before it was sucked into a round pink orb that was embedded in her mask.

As she sheathed her blade and re-attached it onto her back, the pink flame disappeared, as did her mask, leaving deep brown eyes glittering, framed by black hair as dark as the night. With a swirl, her black robes danced in her wake, and left behind the charred mask and remains of the insect-like Hollow.

::-::-:: **::-::-::** ::-::-::

"Sir!!"

Byakuya looked up from where he was sitting, looking over some notices that had been created by the council. There was a mysterious creature that was out there, killing Hollows.

The strangest part about it was that there was no sign of any of the tarnished souls, and carcasses, which were almost impossible for Hollows to leave behind, were being found, charred and split in half right up from the hole to the mask, which was always halved.

Byakuya looked at the messenger with wary eyes. What was it now?

"There has been another Hollow found!!"

Byakuya's eyes widened involuntarily. Not another one? That was three in two weeks. Either the thing that was killing them was getting too active…

Byakuya rose, after he was sure he was prepared for a fight, if necessary. There was a comforting weight at his hip- but he didn't spare his zanpakuto a glance as he strode briskly out of the room.

… or, he mused to himself, his mind falling back to the letter on his desk, the Hollows were starting to search the strange creature out.

::-::-:: **::-::-::** ::-::-::

Yoruchi, tail twitching madly, looked up at Ichigo Kurosaki in frustration. Why was it taking so long?

The orange-headed boy was standing on the corner, discussing something very animatedly with two boys she assumed were from his class. Glaring up at the boy, she stalked over to him, and let out what she hoped was a pitiful sounding meow.

Ichigo immediately looked down, and his eyes widened. A shiver made it's way down his spine as Yoruchi glared up at him. "Mr. Yoruchi?"

A split second later, Ichigo had scooped up Yoruchi, and was off down the street, waving apologetically to his friends.

"Took you bloody long enough," Yoruchi grumbled. "And I will not put up with being carried for much longer, you know."

"Ah!" Ichigo promptly dropped her, as she extended her kitty-claws.

"This way, fool. I have some important news, which I must tell _everyone_. The rest are already gathered at Urahara's."

Ichigo looked down at her strangely, but said nothing, walking quickly, his long strides carrying him confidently down the street.

::-::-:: **::-::-::** ::-::-::

Yoruchi sat languidly, stretching her limbs with satisfying pops. She did enjoy the freedom of her cat form… but it was nice to have actual human arms and legs. And it was much easier to defend herself.

Ichigo, Orihime, Chad, Urahara, Rukia, and Ishida were sitting around her in a circle, and they all looked to her as she leaned against the wall behind her.

"Some of you may know," she started, looking pointedly at Rukia and Urahara, "Of the strange creature that had been sighted, who kills Hollows by cutting them in half, and burning them."

Ichigo, Orihime, Chad, and Ishida looked on with interest, while Urahara's eyes widened in anticipation. Rukia was deep in thought, and Yoruchi paused to let her talk.

"The one that the council have been researching?"

"Yes," Yoruchi replied. "The very same."

"What has changed?" Urahara questioned, and Yoruchi could see the wheels in his head already churning.

"I've seen her. If the brief time she was atop the scaffold, I scanned her aura."

"And?!" this time it was Ichigo who was looking at her with anticipation, and Yoruchi smiled coyly.

"She is not much different from the reapers who fill the very city she was watching. She has a human body, and soul reaper powers. She even has a zanpakuto, as a manifestation of her powers. It is not unlike yours, Ichigo- in a constant state of release."

"But?" Rukia asked, focusing on Yoruchi intently.

"She also has the powers of a Hollow. They tinge her aura, and her blade. It has an aura of it's own… I suspect she is collecting souls for herself."

"Hollow souls," Ruika said, not posed as a question, but a reflection.

"The purer souls, as well." Yoruchi said. "There is a balance between the two sides of her power. She needs to maintain the balance."

Ichigo was pale, and deep in thought. Yoruchi wondered idly where his mind was, before she continued.

"Because she takes souls, I must assume she stores them somewhere on herself- whether it be in her blade, or some other container. Nonetheless, by now, the power she has amassed is great. The council has just emitted a notice that they want her captured, dead or alive. They want her power."

Ichigo looked up, startled. "We have to get to her first!!"

Everyone was confused. Orihime spoke up for the first time, seemingly voicing the collective thoughts of the humans with high soul powers. "Why, Ichigo? Isn't this none of our business? Do we really want to walk into the Soul Society again, and put ourselves in danger?" her voice rose an octave as she finished.

Ichigo looked at her, and spoke sharply, startling the poor girl. "I've seen her, here, in the human relm. We don't need some good-for-nothing stealing her power. It's bad enough that the Soul Society knows about us… what if they use the power to come after us?"

Orihime's face was pale.

Chad looked at Ichigo, seemingly disgruntled. "I agree with Orihime," he said slowly. "We should not make this our problem."

Ichigo looked almost outraged. It was clear that there was something he was not saying, and whether or not Chad noticed, he made no comment on it.

"However," Chad continued, ignoring a fuming Ichigo, "Ichigo makes a valid point. If we do not gain this power for ourselves, we will be in more danger, no matter if we're in the human world or not."

This seemed to settle Ichigo, and he had the decency to look rather apologetically at Chad.

Yoruchi looked at Urahara.

His hat was covering his eyes, and for a moment, she was sure of what he would answer her. When he raised his head, and she knew she was right. He had a familiar glint in his eyes… one she hadn't seen for a long, long time.

"We will go back." He said astutely, and rose. Everyone followed him, but Yoruchi.

"The day after tomorrow. I want to study this power… it may be the answer to something that I have been in search of, for a long, long time."

"We are not doing this for your _research_!" Ichigo said angrily, turning on Urahara.

"And we will not do this for whatever reason you don't wish to disclose!" Urahara replied angrily, startling their audience. It wasn't often he raised his voice.

Yoruchi finally rose, sensing the tension in the room.

"We will go for our own purpose. However, do we all agree that we need to get there first?"

The people in the room nodded their heads in acquiescence, and Yoruchi grinned again, her white teeth standing out starkly against her skin.

"Then it's settled!! The day after tomorrow. Be here, ten in the morning, sharp."

**To Be Continued…**

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**A/N: **Okay. I've had this in my head for a while, but I'm still not too sure about it. I wasn't too sure if I even wanted to post this, but I've decided, what the heck.

And now, there is this story.

The title of the story, _Hakumei Hollow_ means twilight Hollow. The chapter title, _Hanshou,_ means midnight. And Kagome's attack, roughly translated to japanese, ("_Suraisu, ken no za tenrai-tasogare._") says, "Slice, blade of the heavenly twilight." You may notice that "twilight" repeats itself. Well, it becomes rather important. That's why it's so common.

That being said and done, I can't wait to find out how this story does!!

Please, tell me what you think, in a review!!

**ancient-relic**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **I just want everyone to know that I'm totally winging this story. I don't have a general plan for the next chapter, I have no idea how long this will be, and I don't know what I plan on doing between this chapter, and the last chapter, whenever that is. All I know is that I wanted to write a Kagome/Byakuya... so I suppose I should really hurry and get on that, shouldn't I?? Heehee.

Just some general information about the story... the way I've designed it, and whatnot... !!SPOILER ALERT!! For those that haven't read all the published manga. Ichigo and the gang rescued Rukia, who chose to stay with them. Uryu has all his powers. The three captains DID desert the Soul Society. I won't name names. The vizard arc has not happened. As far as the Soul Society is concerned, Ichigo and his friends did a good thing in helping, but they are not welcome. Well... supposedly, they're not welcome. But several captians don't particularly mind their presence. Okay? Another thing, then, I suppose. The story basically covers the first 20 books... so if you haven't read that, then there is an effective SPOILER ALERT.

Now that I've had my speil, (did I spell that right? I don't think so... --;) on with the story!! And BTW, the title of this chapter means "sunrise".

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**Disclaimer:** It has come to my attention that I forgot the disclaimer in the first chapter... I meant to go back and change it... then I forgot. So I suppose, I'll just do it now!! I don't own Bleach or InuYasha. They belong to their respective creators, and their brilliant minds!!

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**Hakumei Hollow**

**Chapter Two: Hinode**

**By ancient-relic**

_Grinning to herself, Kagome twirled her blade over her arm, and deftly caught the grip again, just in time to stab it into the Hollow in front of her. The only sound that met her ears was the garbled cry of the dying soul, and a faint pink light, that glowed from the charred remains of the body upon the ground from the Hollow's companion._

::-::-:: **::-::-::** ::-::-::

Slinging his bag over his shoulder, Ichigo took one last look at his home. He supposed it would be a while until he saw it again, but it didn't really matter. He was going on another adventure into the Soul Society, and his blood was already pumping. He wondered if there was anyone worth fighting left… as in, someone he hadn't already fought. That seemed to be the way he got better- was by fighting new people.

And he was ready.

::-::-:: **::-::-::** ::-::-::

Kagome grinned down from her place atop the great walls. She watched the Soul Reapers mill about, none of them noticing her presence. Of course, she wasn't here as a Hollow killer… she was here to challenge for a spot amongst the captains.

She knew that three captains had left… Gin, Aizen, and Kaname. She knew that the Soul Reapers were greatly weakened without them. And she knew that in order to keep her identity a secret, she would need to join the very ranks than threatened her. Therefore, it was in her best interest to become a captain. Captain, solely because she had too much power to hide to be anything else. What she couldn't contain would easily put her on that level.

Her power was sealed right now, but it was also hidden from suspecting reapers. Letting the camouflage drop, she watched as the bustle slowed to a stop, and everyone looked up at her. She could already feel several powerful aura's converging on the spot… it was only a matter of time.

::-::-:: **::-::-::** ::-::-::

Ichigo stepped though the doors to Urahara Shoten, and wasn't overly surprised to see that the gang was already waiting.

"Well?" he said. They were all staring at him with looks of confusion. Perhaps it was because he was late…?

"Thank you for finally joining us, strawberry." Yoruchi spoke up, causing Ichigo to look down. There she was, sitting at his feet.

"I'm late?" he questioned, musing more to himself than directly asking. Yoruchi answered regardless.

"Yes."

"It's barely 10 in the morning."

The cat gave a little sigh, before stretching, and walking into the back of the store. "Never mind. Now that we're all here, we should get down to business. Kisuke will be joining us on this expedition, as you may or may not know. He has managed (with my help) to open the gates to the Soul Society, so we will not be forced to run again."

"That's good!!" Orihime chirped. It was the first that Ichigo had heard he speak in a while… but she sounded normal, so he didn't stop to think about it for too long. He'd figure out what was up with his friends later.

No, in the meantime, his mind drifted to the strange dream that he had been having, constantly for almost two weeks. Each day, the dream got just a little longer. He could hear the sounds replaying in his head... the images imprinted on his eyelids whenever he closed them... the incredible _power_ teasing him. Why was that so real?

"_InuYaaaashaaaa!!" a shrill voice pierced the air. He looked up through bleary eyes, and found that he was having an awful lot of trouble keeping his eyes open._

_There was a dull pain in his abdomen, and he flexed his hands, experimentally. There was something in his right hand. Tilting his head, he found that there was long, silvery hair stopping him from seeing what was in his hand. His body hurt too much to move, so there was no way he was going to be sitting up any time soon. _

_The sharp metallic tang of blood was thick in the air, and something told him that the unique scent of it was his. His mind was processing things slower and slower…_

"_InuYaaaashaaaa!!" The voice cried again. Now he could pick up on vibrations in the ground. She was running towards him. He could smell salt. It was the girl's tears. She was crying for him?_

_He noted that his senses seemed more acute than he had ever remembered them. It didn't quite fit in with the weary state of his body, but he reveled in the information that his nose and his ears were sending to his brain._

"_InuYasha…" the girl's voice lowered to a whisper. She knelt beside him. His eyes made out the blurry form of someone kneeling over him. "Please, don't die on me now… not after all we've been through together. Not after all we've accomplished."_

_He felt something grow within him at that plea, and the pain seemed to slowly disappear from his mind. His eyesight sharpened to the point where he could make out the features of the girl who was bent over him. She had long dark hair, and deep brown eyes. Tears ran softly down her face, and splashed upon his own._

_Then, totally out of place in his dream, her face phased out, and flashed into a Hollow's mask. The soft brown eyes darkened to red, and a sinister grin spread across her face, which was visible through jagged parts of her mask. But just as soon as her face had twisted, it was back to normal._

"_Don't worry, Kagome." A gruff voice exited his mouth… and he knew it wasn't his own. "I'm not dead yet."_

::-::-:: **::-::-::** ::-::-::

Kagome's grin widened. Several of the captains had converged on the area, and were mumbling about what she presumed to be her. However, as she looked them over again, she only recognized one of them. Kenpachi Zaraki, was the last to make it to the gate, which Kagome immediately attributed to his horrible sense of direction. Her eyes strayed to the tall, regal one with the dark hair, and found him eyeing her with a gaze of steel. His eyes brought up memories of her past... but then again, Kenpachi did that all by himself.

"Hello, Kenny."

::-::-:: **::-::-::** ::-::-::

Kenpachi skidded to a stop, and joined Toshiro, Soifon, and Byakuya and all their assistants by the gate.

"Who's this? Who's this?" Yachiru chirped from his shoulder. Renji turned to Kenpachi, and sent Yachiru a funny look before replying.

"No one knows. She just appeared."

Matsumoto spoke up, and Yachiru jumped off Kenny's back, so that the assistant captains could gather away from the captains to… well, gossip.

"What if she's the mysterious Hollow-killer? Look at that long-sword strapped to her back!"

Omaeda looked at the other assistant captains, and then back up at the mysterious girl. "One thing's for sure… she's real nice on the eyes."

Renji smacked him upside the head. "You don't talk about women who could kick your ass like that!!"

At this point, the captains had ignored their assistants, and were focused on the strange girl who was standing up on the battlement. She merely stood there, watching them carefully.

"She's powerful." Soifon stated. "Perhaps as much as us."

Byakuya made a noise of agreement. He narrowed his eyes as he stared up at her… there was something suspicious about her presence. He had a sneaking suspicion that there was more to her than she was revealing.

"Nonsense!!" Toshiro said, a scowl marring his face. "She is not from here… there is no way that she could have powers to match ours, because the only training exists within the city! It should be more than easy to dispatch her."'

Soifon and Toshiro immediately started to argue. Byakuya finally turned his attention from the girl on the wall to Kenpachi, who had yet to say anything, which was slightly irregular.

Byakuya was surprised to see him glaring up at the girl, and he could just imagine the cogs turning furiously in his head. What was going through his head?

"Hello, Kenny."

Byakuya's head snapped to the left, and sought the girl out on the wall again. She hadn't moved. Her light, musical voice silenced Soifon and Toshiro's arguing, and Byakuya felt the assistants line up behind their captains.

"You!!" Kenny's face was that of recognition and anger, and before any of the captains could raise a hand to stop him, he had unsheathed his blade, and leapt at the girl on the wall.

**To Be Continued…**

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A/N: **Well, there was the initial interaction. Will Ichigo and his gang make it to the Soul Society in time to confront Kagome? I must say, _I_ know what will happen... but go ahead and think about it!! I'm sure you'll either be disappointed or surprised with the next chapter. And how does Kagome know Kenny? Will Byakuya get himself involved? Hahaha.

To tell you the truth, I'm more asking myself these questions... but won't it be fun to figure it out on your own? Feel free to ask about it, anyhow. In a review!! Please and thanks.

That being said, I suppose I'll catch up with some of my other stories, now... --; Who cares about exams...?!!?

**ancient-relic**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** I bet you're wondering why I'm posting again so soon?! BWAHAHAHAHAWAAAA! D It's because instead of studying for exams, I've been writing this!! And, it's nice and long, and it gives you a little bit more insight on Kagome... So I hope you all ENJOY IT!! BWAHAAAA! By the way, this chapter's title means 'noon'.

EFFECTIVE SPOILER WARNING, FROM THIS POINT ONWARD.

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Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach, InuYasha, or either of the characters that belong to them. I'm only using them to sate my imagination!!

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**Hakumei Hollow**

**Chapter Three: Hiruhinaka**

**By ancient-relic**

_He glared at his opponent before him. Those that stood before him were worthless to him … an unnecessary battle would no doubt follow. In the meantime, he did not dismiss them, or dare turn his back, for the one that stood in front of him was powerful. It was not power that he needed. He had power. It was his power that brought these people to stand before him, he knew._

"_You will not aid me, then?" One spoke up. He was the most powerful. He was the leader._

"_I will not." He responded, his voice not betraying the irritation he felt from this pesky creature. He could not call it a human, for it was not… rather, a powerful soul who had changed after death, not unlike him. He had heard a name for them- they were called Soul Reapers._

_The human remained in front of him, and he felt a primal anger stir within him, welling up and controlling his body once again. He was powerless to stop it, but he did not want to stop it- he wanted this Soul Reaper gone, so he could slip back into his state of unconsciousness._

_Rising to his massive height, he stared down at his prey with red eyes from beneath her grotesque, toothed mask. He knew he was intimidating, but it irked him that the human didn't seem the least bit responsive. He snarled a final word before lunging._

"_Die."_

::-::-:: **::-::-::** ::-::-::

Kenpachi was upon the wall in a moment, and was more than angered to find that Kagome was no longer there. Growling furiously, he turned to face his fellow captains, only to find Kagome standing in his place among them.

"Looking for me?" she grinned.

Byakuya's head snapped to the right, to see the girl standing next to him, in Kenpachi's place. Soifon and Toshiro seemed no more surprised than he, for they had not sensed her presence either.

Kenpachi launched himself again, with much more speed than before. Byakuya knew that Kenpachi had not learned shunpo as he had, but his speed was surprising nonetheless. The girl stood motionless beside him. Kenpachi descended with a ferocious cry, and debris flew outwards from the collision, sending the three captains and their assistants jumping out of the way.

"You are still too slow, Kenpachi." The voice came again. Byakuya followed it only to find that the girl was now standing, perfectly balanced, from the top of a wooden pole that helped to stabilize one of the many booths that were open by the gates.

"How?" Kenpachi growled from the clearing debris, lifting his blade from the newly formed crevice in the ground. "I should have surpassed you."

"Captain or not, Kenpachi," she said his name with a scolding tone. Kenpachi scowled. "I did not need the city to become stronger, as you did."

The girl suddenly disappeared, and reappeared before Kenny. "Strike me as hard as you can. You will not lay a blow on me. One draw, do it now. Before I decide to prove it to you in a more painful way." Her voice darkened.

Kenny hesitated for the briefest of moments, before he raised his zanpakuto and brought it down with all the power he could muster from a stationary position. His powers flared around them, lighting the street with blinding power. Byakuya had to shut his eyes to the sight, but as soon as the glare died down, he opened them again. Much to his consternation, the girl was standing unharmed, and Kenpachi's blade was hovering over her, stopped only by some unseen force.

"I must give you credit, Kenpachi." Kagome chuckled. "You _are_ more powerful than I had originally thought. My powers are focused on stopping your blade right now. If you were fighting with a partner, I would be virtually unprotected."

Byakuya glared, focusing his eyes on the spot where Kenpachi's blade was frozen, six inches above her head. The harder he looked, the more he began to doubt himself. There was a pink disturbance in the air- which was no doubt her power manifesting. But had it ever been known to take on a colour? And it had to be highly condensed to physically disrupt the air.

Before he could do anything else, Toshiro had drawn his own blade, and launched himself at the girl, before she spun beneath Kenpachi's blade in time to intercept him. A pink flare shoved Kenpachi away from her, and Toshiro's blade clanged off an invisible blockade before he was sent flying backwards, all in a matter of seconds. They had not clashed even for a fraction of a second.

Kenpachi had calmed down, and had sheathed his blade. Yachiru had dutifully resumed her place on Kenny's shoulder, and was looking rather uncharacteristically somber, her gaze directed at the girl.

"I said _virtually_ unprotected." She intoned, her voice irritated. "I am not above underhanded tactics, such as attacking from behind. Outside these walls, there are no morals or values. You must be prepared for anything."

Kagome stood still as the captains and their assistants gathered, staring at her with various expressions. She let her eyes fall on Kenny, who was looking rather relaxed, despite his previous outburst. A malicious grin found its way onto his face… he suspected what she was up to in this place.

"Ah…" he mused aloud. "I see the time has come."

Kagome stared at him silently for a moment, before dipping her head in acknowledgement.

"My fellow shinigami," he started, his grin spreading wider across his face. "I would like to introduce you to an acquaintance of mine; Kagome. She has come to apply for the position of captain."

::-::-:: **::-::-::** ::-::-::

Ichigo stepped into the Soul Society, followed by Chad, Orihime, Uryu, Rukia, Yoruichi, and finally Kisuke. They had not agreed on a plan once they had crossed the gate, but they all had decided that they would stick together until that time.

Ichigo closed his eyes for a moment, taking in the familiar feeling of the Soul Society. He could feel some of the more powerful aura's… and he was itching for a fight. There had been a tense silence between him and his friends since he had arrived that morning, and he was eager to put it, and them, behind him. The feeling of wanting to go off alone wasn't one that he was familiar with, but it credited it to the strange dreams he had been having, and didn't waste time on it.

He picked out Kenpachi Zaraki's aura, and noted that Byakuya Kuchiki, Rukia's older brother, was with him by the North Gate. Too bad he didn't have business with either of them… they could give him what he was looking for.

However, Ichigo's eagerness to battle slowly disappeared from his mind as a third, more powerful aura, tingled against his senses. It was the purest thing that he had ever felt, even within the Soul Society, for even most of the Soul Reapers had been tainted by killing Hollows. No, this aura was powerful, and eerily pure… and oddly familiar. He needed to get to the bottom of it… soon. Yet he doubted that he'd forget something so odd, so he convinced himself that even if he didn't meet up with the aura in the city, he would be easily able to pinpoint it later.

"All right now, this way." Kisuke said, leading them west. "We've got places to go, information to dig up."

Ichigo followed without a fight… there was no sense in starting one now.

::-::-:: **::-::-::** ::-::-::

Kagome grinned at the various looks of shock that met Kenpachi's declaration. Turning to the assembled captains, she bowed at the waist in an almost stiff action, before smiling lightly.

"My name is Kagome. It is a pleasure to meet you, Hitsuguya-sama, Soifon-sama, Kuchiki-sama." She said, with the utmost politeness.

Byakuya was surveying her critically. She had long black hair, which flowed freely to her thighs. She wore a black haori and kimono, though the ends of the long sleeves were frayed, perhaps because of long use. Her hands and wrists were covered with bandages, and her feet were as well, protecting the arch and ball of her foot. The rest of her foot, strangely, was bare. She wore her blade horizontally across her back, the hilt just towering over her right shoulder and the end stopping just after her left knee. It was the longest blade he seen in a long time… and noted with a strange curiosity that it did not seem to match up with her rather short stature.

She stood at around 5 feet and 1 inch tall, and so her blade was almost two-thirds her height. At the current ratio, it was impossible for her to draw her blade, although he was more than certain that she had drawn it to defend herself from Toshiro earlier. He had caught nothing more than her left hand moving towards her right shoulder, and then the pink light had blocked his view. The other thing that he noted was that she was incredibly fast, and had likely mastered shunpo to the point of shunshin, like Yoruichi.

Yet, Byakuya kept this all to himself as he and his fellow captains took in the strange girl in front of them, and waited for someone else to be the first to speak. Soifon was looking at Kagome in awe, and Byakuya wondered if the shortest female captain had found a new idol in the girl before them. Toshiro had the decency to look flustered after being thrown away with little-to-no effort on Kagome's part, but he could tell that he was itching for a fight.

Strangers were showing up left right and center with strange powers, he mused to himself. If she wanted to be a captain, the first step would be going to Yamamoto. Turning on his heel, he discovered that the assistant captains were equally as entranced.

"Kagome-san. Please follow me, I will lead you to headquarters." Byakuya said, careful to keep his voice cold. He did his best to reveal absolutely nothing about himself to this girl, because he had the sneaking suspicion that she was bad news. He would need every advantage he had against her in that case, for she was truly powerful if she was able to stop Kenpachi so easily.

Kagome followed, leaving the other captains and assistants to follow at their leisure. Her light feet made no noise against the stone as she walked forward, and Byakuya found himself turning around to make sure she was actually following him. Her spiritual power had all but diminished, and he was hard-pressed to sense it. But as she cocked her head to the side and wrinkled her nose in his direction, Byakuya righted himself, and stalked off towards the center of the city.

"So Kenny…" Yachiru whispered conspiratorially from her perch on his shoulder. "How do you know Kagome-sama?"

Renji turned and looked at the young assistant with outrage. After all of her ridiculous nicknames, she was calling this strange woman with the respect that she obviously deserved? Why?

He didn't have time to complain, as Kenny chuckled. Everyone, excluding Byakuya and Kagome, who were a little-ways ahead, was listening with interest.

"I'll tell you a story. It all started years ago… when I had no name."

::-::-:: **::-::-::** ::-::-::

_He was sitting on the ground, back against a tree. Dead men were lying on the ground all around him, and he himself was covered in blood spray from his own attacks. They had failed to lay a blow on him, yet again…_

_Gentle footsteps reached his ears, and he tensed, wondering just who it was who was coming after him next. He was more than surprised, however, when he saw a young girl, in red and while, limping towards him. She was ragged, obviously having seen better days._

_Her clothes, traditional robes of some kind, he noted, were torn. The red hakama were covered in mud and what looked like something darker. The while haori was ripped at the elbows and up the sleeves, and there was dried blood spatter in a diagonal line up her chest, and crossing up to her face. Her face was scratched and bruised, and there was a cut above her right eye, but there were no blood stains on her face. Her hair was long, to the middle of her back, and tangled and filthy._

_But the things that stood out amongst her tattered appearance was that one, she had a long sword strapped to her back, and her eyes burned with a fire and intelligence and vitality that didn't match her appearance._

"_Who are you?" he asked. She looked at him, cocking her head to the side. When she spoke, it wasn't to him, but to someone else, likely herself._

"_Oh? I see he hasn't died. You told me that everyone here was dead." She murmured, her voice light and musical, again going against her physical appearance. "No… this one is too strong to die. He is a fighter. A killer."_

_He looked at her strangely. Her eyes were unfocused, and she glanced at the bodies that were strewn about the little clearing he was sitting in. Her eyes darted around almost wildly, counting how many were dead._

"_Fourteen…" she murmured again, and gave out a sigh._

_A light smile came over her face as she closed her eyes, and spread her hands out. He couldn't tell what she was doing, but he had the sneaking suspicion that whatever it was, he wasn't supposed to be a witness to. As he watched her stand there with her eyes closed and her arms spread out, he saw that there was one who he hadn't quite managed to kill. The man must have gotten knocked out earlier on, before he had gotten a hold of one of their blades. He felt no need to warn the girl, for she was carrying a blade on her back, and it seemed foolish to carry a blade without knowing how to use one, or how to sense an enemy._

_The man dashed at her, and in the blink of an eye, the girl's eyes had opened, a ferocious look in them, and she had spun on her heel, and destroyed her opponent. It took a moment for him to register what she had done, as the dying man let out a garbled noise before his top half fell off his legs, which shortly followed him onto the ground._

_The girl had sensed his approach, and spun while drawing her blade all in the same instant, which should have been impossible, considering her height to the sword's length. It was almost a 2-3 ratio. He stared at her now, her long blade stretching out from her arm, the tip of it resting right above the ground. The strangest thing about the blade was that it looked like it was made of white steel. It reflected the sunlight and shone in his eyes, and he had to look away. _

_She sheathed her blade, and turned to him. There was new blood spatter on her white haori, this time, crossing with the first to make an X. Alarms went off in his head as she walked towards him. Was she going to kill him too? He didn't have much energy after taking down fourt- thirteen men… but it was either try, or die._

_Rising to meet her, he propelled himself off the tree he had been resting against, sword-point aimed at the girl's stomach. Her eyes widened momentarily, but she didn't remain surprised for long, as she deftly dodged his attack by ducking to the ground beneath him, rolling onto her back, and sending a sharp kick into his own stomach._

_His flight path altered, he went flying through the air, and landed on the ground. He tried to land in a roll, so that he wouldn't feel the impact as much, but it didn't work the way he had planned. He came to a stop a few feet away from where he had landed, on his back. The sword he had stolen was out of his reach, and the air had been knocked out of him when he landed._

_The girl strode over to him, picking her way through the bodies. He closed his eyes with one last look at the sky, and was more surprised when he felt something block the sun. Opening his eyes again, he saw the girl smiling gently up at him._

"_Here," she said, offering him a hand. Staring at it for a moment, he considered his options. He wouldn't reach his blade in time to protect himself if this was some underhand trick, but if he grabbed her left hand, (the one she had offered), she wouldn't be able to draw her sword, which rested on her right shoulder. He was much bigger than her, and would be easily able to overpower her for the moment he'd need to jump for his sword. After a moment, he allowed himself to be pulled up from the ground._

_He was surprised at the strength in this small girl, and had second thoughts about being able to overpower her. She gave his hand a squeeze before she let it go, and smiled up at him again._

"_My name is Kagome." She nodded her head in a little bow. He did the same. "Did you kill all these people?"_

"_Yes." He replied, watching her warily as she walked over to the sword that he had been using. _

_She picked it up by the tip of the blade, and held it vertically in the air, looking at it closely. Then, she frowned, before flipping it, and snatching it out of the air by the handle._

"_This sword was terribly made." She said, before deftly snapping it at the hilt with her bare hands._

_He stared at her in awe and shock, wondering just who the young girl was, to be able to snap steel with her bare hands. She looked up and caught his look, before dropping the pieces, and scratching her head sheepishly._

"_Sorry, but you're better than that. I can tell."_

_Walking past him, she stopped only for a moment to look over her shoulder, indicating that she wanted him to follow. Now weaponless, he figured he didn't really have a choice. So he followed her as she picked her way through the trees, before stopping a few minutes later at a slow-moving stream._

_Kneeling down at the edge of the river, she cupped some water in her hands, drinking from it before splashing it in her face. She flipped her hair over, and dunked her head in the water, running her hands through the long black strands._

_He watched as a cloud of mud and blood dirtied the water, coming from her hair. But a minute later, she wrung her hair out and twisted it back over her shoulder before standing up._

_Now her face was clean, and all of the dirt and blood was gone from her hair. Her hair shone blue in the filtered sunlight, and her eyes were a sparking brown. She was the prettiest woman he had ever seen in the district._

"_How rude of me," She frowned. "I didn't ask your name,"_

"_I have no name." he replied gruffly. She looked at him in surprise, before smiling lightly._

"_Well, I'm sure you have one. You just have to find it."_

_He followed her as she walked to a small patch of sunlight on the grass, and she stood and faced him._

"_You need something to protect yourself with. That sword will just not do." She said, before sitting in the sun, motioning for him to sit across from her. "I will show you how you can find your own sword, like mine."_

_He was shocked, but he complied and sat across from her, watching her carefully. She crossed her legs, and motioned for him to do the same. Mimicking her actions, he placed his hands on his knees._

"_Here's what I want you to do," she said, looking at him dead in the eye. "I want you to close your eyes, and think of nothing more than your heartbeat. There will be a blackness that will encompass you then, and someone will come to you, who will give you what you seek."_

_He looked at her, curiously. She stood, and he watched her move. Before he had a chance to do anything, she had drawn her blade, and slashed his face, vertically down his left eye._

_Roaring in pain, he cupped his eye, glaring at her with his right one. He felt a power well up inside of him, and was surprised at her smirk. His rage left him, and so did the power._

"_Don't worry. It's a shallow cut. Your eye will be fine. It will help you focus on your heart, as it pumps blood to where this cut is."_

"_I will repay this to you, one day." He said, glaring at her before closing his eyes, and focusing, as she told him to._

"_When the day comes that you can overpower me, I will yield to you." She said. "But that day will not come for a thousand years. Remember my name. I will find you again when you have yours."_

_Opening his eyes, he was surprised and irritated to find that she had disappeared. But it seemed useless to try and follow her- he was temporarily blind in one eye, and did not have the strength to fight back. Closing his eyes, he tried to let himself sink as deeply into himself as he could._

_Her voice echoed in his head, and her soft, smiling face was all he could see. A wide grin spread across his face, and his eyes hardened. "A thousand years will come sooner than you think, Kagome."_

::-::-:: **::-::-::** ::-::-::

Kenny looked at Toshiro, Soifon, and their assistants. Renji was on his other side. They were all quiet, watching Kagome as she walked respectfully behind Byakuya.

"So she's really powerful, then." Matsumoto spoke up. Toshiro nodded, his hands folded together in his sleeves.

"I can't wait to fight her." Soifon said, grinning. "She'll be a challenging opponent."

Toshiro turned and looked at her. "What makes you think you'll get to fight her? Besides. She too powerful for you."

Something snapped in Soifon's face. Renji wondered if there was something going on between the two shortest members of the guard.

"Yamamoto will make her fight another captain if she wants to be one, you idiot!!" Soifon responded scathingly. "And just because she threw you away like it was nothing, doesn't mean I'll let her get away so easily! Besides I'm stronger than you!!"

Toshiro scoffed. "Yeah, right."

Soifon growled, shaking a fist at Toshiro. "_Everyone_ knows that women are the stronger sex."

Turning her head, a devilish smile spread across her face. "Right, Kagome-sama?" she asked, catching up with the strange woman.

Kagome turned her head, and looked down a Soifon for a moment. "What was that, Soifon-sama?" she asked, cocking her head as she kept walking.

Toshiro approached her on her other side, keeping pace with Soifon and Kagome. "Don't listen to her, Kagome-sama." He shook his head, a faint pink dusting his nose. "She gets a testy when a man is more powerful than she is."

Kagome blinked, eyes wide for a moment, before sending a beautiful smile at Soifon, who returned it. Toshiro felt something twist in his gut, and scowled. Why was she smiling at Soifon?

"But Hitsuguya-sama," Kagome said, grinning at him.

"Please call me Toshiro," he said, still scowling. If anything, the pink on his face got more pronounced.

"_Toshiro_-sama," she continued with a wider smile. "Women often _are_ stronger than men. It's because they're always put down and under-estimated."

Toshiro's mouth gaped, and he stopped walking. Soifon walked past him, beside Kagome, laughing maniacally.

"He walked right into that one," Matasumoto chuckled, looking at Omaeda and Renji. Yachiru laughed from Kenny's shoulder. They nodded, sparing Toshiro a glance as they all continued after Byakuya, Kagome, and Soifon.

**To Be Continued…**

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**A/N:** Well? How was that? Nice and long? Boring? Plain? I tried not to leave it on a cliffie... XP

I think the most important question for this chapter is... will it be a thousand years until I post the next chapter? ONLY TIME WILL TELL:D

Please read and review! X3

**ancient-relic**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Okay. So, I bet you're all ready to kill me, eh? It's been almost 6 months. So, I hope this chapter cuts it for you... there'll be more coming, since it's summertime now. WHOOOOOTTTT!

And, GUESS WHAT! This is my second story that's cracked 100 reviews. THANKS SO MUCH!! In honor of that, I will do my best to get as many chapters out, as fast as I can!! That being said, I want to post a little bit of everything before I get back to this one, because my other stories need some love too!! Keep your fingers crossed for me.

This chapter title means 'sunset'. Now read on, dear readers!!

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**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach, or InuYasha. So don't you go getting any funny ideas.

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**Hakumei Hollow**

**Chapter Four: Hinoiri**

**By ancient-relic**

_She tensed with the wind as it brushed along her body. There was a familiar, powerful force which had been recently awakened, and it was crying for blood. Something within her yearned for that soul- the host of that power. But something told her that this soul was not hers for the taking. Instead, she found her own dark power calling out to it, in longing._

_It was large, much more so than the regular souls that she claimed as she wandered through the Soul Society. It had an ancient power that mixed in with the taint of hollow, yet even as she took the power apart, she couldn't place it, no matter the alarms that went off in her head. _

_It had been a long time since an aura had put her at unease. She would find this strangely familiar power source. _

_And she __**would**__ devour it._

:-:-: **:-:-:** :-:-:

Kagome carefully took in the winding streets as she walked modestly behind Byakuya. They had not spoken a word since Kagome had talked with Toshiro. Soifon had walked with her a while, but not long after had drifted backwards, to walk with her fellow captains and assistants.

Whether or not Soifon knew the reason behind her instinctual move, Kagome did. Because of the Shikon, Kagome had to maintain a balance. A balance of the dark, and the light. And she did so dutifully, lest the power she protected fall out of balance. However, in order to maintain the balance, dark souls, or the souls of hollows, were required.

While hollows were, in fact, nothing more than human souls that had gone awry, they were still very particular, and easily singled out from other good souls, or even other types of evil souls. They emitted a peculiar power once they were absorbed by the Shikon, so much of Kagome's power had to be diverted to mask not only the jewel's power, but the jewel's aura as well.



The jewel was a sentient being, and it thought for itself. In exchange for maintaining and protecting it, it granted its being its power, and relinquished its mind, becoming dormant. However, it fed off surrounding energies if a watchful eye was not kept upon it. Powerful aura's attracted her, and so Kagome found herself unconsciously trying to surround herself with others, so that she was not completely drained.

During her time amongst the other souls, and away from any Reapers, her own powers had adjusted to the drain, and had strengthened exponentially. The feeling that pushed Soifon away was the jewel's desire. Soifon's aura was unique, and Kagome could tell that her zanpakuto would be as well. Yet the jewel had become rather fixated on Byakuya's aura, as he kept it concealed. Kagome's eyes could pick it out easily, as it moved in controlled movements about his body.

The jewel wanted to feed off this cold aura, and draw the negative energy in to contradict the natural lightness that Kagome had once possessed as a human. Once fixated, other auras were nothing but a hindrance, and Soifon's righteous power was not what the jewel wanted.

Kagome forcibly quelled the jewel's mad urge with relative ease, yet she could feel it's displeasure at being denied. Beginning to wonder whether or not coming for the position of captain was the best idea, several familiar aura's caught her attention and reminded her why.

_I wonder if they remember at all,_ she sighed. _Or have they forgotten, with time?_

_**You will find out soon enough.**_

:-:-: **:-:-:** :-:-:

Byakuya led the strange girl to Yamamotos headquarters. The captains and their assistants moved languidly, but hastened at his cold stare.

"Youve gotta wait here, now, while we talk to the Captain, Kagome." Kenpachi explained.



"Very well," Kagome sighed. She turned lightly on the balls of her feet to meet Toshiro, who was looking at her with narrowed eyes. Slightly confused, Kagome looked him over, carefully. What was going through his mind?

She sighed. In her current form, she couldn't sense other's minds. It was a sacrifice she had to make to completely hide her powers. "Toshiro-sama, may I help you with something?" she asked politely, smiling.

Toshiro came to attention at her voice, looking rather ashamed at being caught staring. "Nothing, Kagome-san. I'm sorry to leave you by yourself, but we will be right back. We need to have a captain's meeting."

"It's alright," Kagome smiled, and walked to the small bench outside the building, passing through the door swiftly and silently. As soon as she was sure that all the captains and their assistants were secure and unaware within the room, she flashed out of existence.

:-:-: **:-:-:** :-:-:

Panting, he collapsed heavily to his feet. He had not expected that the leader put up so much of a fight, and was glad that the two who accompanied him had not assisted.

He had become weak in his years of mourning his losses, and in his weakness, ignored even his hunger. An anger he had held within him for years seemed to well up with his self-pity. Why had he allowed himself to become so weak? Why had he let everything he had fought for during life slip through his fingers? As mighty as he had been… humans had killed him. Humans had evolved, and gained abilities and intelligence he couldn't have predicted. They had wiped out his entire race, ruined his land, and sent him into this afterlife, where his anger consumed him to the point he became a monster of darkness.

His head lifted from the ground, for the second time in almost a millennia. A strong, familiar power was heading towards him. He was most certainly not in any condition for another fight- but there was no dying in the realm of the dead.

:-:-: **:-:-:** :-:-:

Yamamoto stared at the assembled captains warily. The Soul Society was still weak, despite the newest, and more powerful souls that had been recruited. Out of the three new members, two of them had risen to take the captain places of Kaname and Gin, but Aizen's place had yet to be filled. For some reason, the third new reaper refused the captain's position, and requested to be the assistant until the position was filled.

Now Byakuya, Kenpachi, Soifon, and Toshiro came with news of the intruder from the gate- it was an unknown, powerful reaper who wanted the last position of captain. These were dangerous times, and he could not just grant leadership of a squad to anyone… but something inside him was tingling in anticipation. This girl that they spoke of… a part of him rejected her reiki with all of his being… but another part of him welcomed it.

"Very well. Bring her in, then. She will fight… our newest captain, InuYasha, of the 9th squad."

:-:-: **:-:-:** :-:-:

Kagome slid to a stop outside a massive cave, a wide, malicious grin across her face. This was the place that reeked of a familiar power. Large gashes and uprooted scenery littered the ground around the cave- there had been a battle here. Smoke still rose from debris.

"Come out!" Kagome commanded, drawing her blade. It was a long broadsword, pointed to a hook with ring beneath the sinister point. "Come out and tell me where we have met before!"

And the massive beast hiding within the confines of the cave complied, it's footsteps making the earth shake. Kagome watched it from behind her mask, grinning as it came into view. Oh, she remembered this particular soul.



A towering canine stared down at her from a massive mask that covered his eyes, stretching across his shoulders in arcs of spikes, and down the side of his face and jowls in fangs. A long rib, also spiked, covered his spine to a large fluffy tail, and a massive hole, stretching almost from front paw to front paw, sat in the middle of his chest. The great beast sat on his haunches in front of Kagome, and bared his teeth. Acid dripped from his mouth, and his claws slid silently from his claws.

Kagome could tell that he was worse for wear, and he was more out of shape than he'd been in years. His power was unchecked and uncontrolled, and she was glad she had gotten there before anyone else, so she could take it for herself. Tilting her head back to see his glowing red eyes, she smiled. Speaking loudly, so that the ears four stories up could hear her, Kagome welcomed the beast.

"It has been a long time… Sesshomaru."

**To Be Continued…**

**A/N:** I don't really have much to say... except I bet you're REALLY hating me now!! Kukukuuu... Even if it's hate and not love, please review and tell me how much you HATE it!!

And then, while you're waiting for the next chapter, visit me on deviantART, ( ) under the penname ancient-relic. That will make me even more happy!! Okay? Okay.

Until next time,

**ancient-relic**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Hehehe... sorry for the wait. But I'm trying to do more writing before school starts again... UGH! LESS THAN A WEEK! Please enjoy the chapter! I think the title means twilight. (I can't remember...)

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**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or InuYasha. But you don't either!! Nyaaaahhh! So there.

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**Hakumei Hollow**

**Chapter Five: Higure**

**By ancient-relic**

"_I'm sorry, but this is going to hurt." She apologised, the softness of her voice warped by the image of her grotesque mask above her mouth._

"_Anything to be rid of this life," he growled._

_She laughed, again, a sound that did not match up with her appearance. "I will return you to your rightful glory."_

:-:-: **:-:-:** :-:-:

Kagome stared speculatively up at the giant Hollow above her. Sesshomaru made no move to attack, but having known him for years, she knew this was strategy, not stupidity. There was little chance that he would walk out of this battle alive, and he knew it for a fact. Waiting to see whether the enemy moved offensively or defensively was a simple tactic.

Deciding not to wait him out, she flashed forwards. Sesshomaru had always been fast, but it was still a marvel to see him move his massive body backwards fast enough to evade her. Instead, she was standing on the ground where his massive paws had once rested while he was sitting. Now, he was on all four feet, hackles raised, and growling at her, eyes trained on her sword.

Again she moved, flashing to the left, and then behind him. He dodged again and again as she continued to test his senses, flashing in and out, front and back. Finally, she flashed out of his view, hiding her presence completely. His large head swung left and right, before he inhaled deeply, lumbering over to where she was hidden behind a rock. Slapping a mighty paw down, the earth rumbled and cracked under his power. However, Kagome was already gone, standing behind him when he turned.

"You are not as weak as you think you are, Sesshomaru." She said, smiling up at him, and drawing her blade.

"And what would you know about being weak?" he rumbled, a snarl shaking the leaves of what little foliage that remained.

"Enough," she surmised, pausing to think for a moment. Her mask coalesced on her face again, and in the moment she was blind, Sesshomaru lunged.

Feeling the massive beast move, Kagome flashed to the right, and raised her sword, blocking a massive paw from crushing her. Sesshomaru, more than slightly perplexed that a woman and her sword could stop him, suppressed a shiver when he heard her laugh. He had not felt this kind of power since he still roamed the human plane. He was thrown backwards by a blast of power, but he righted himself easily.

"What if I told you I could help you?" Kagome said, her voice sugar-sweet.

Sesshomaru growled in response.

"If I could restore your power and form." She smiled. "For a price of course,"

:-:-: **:-:-:** :-:-:

The captains murmured amongst themselves, as the ninth captain, InuYasha, stepped forward.

"Are you sure about this, Taicho-sama?" Soifon rose from her position against the wall. "Perhaps someone more learned should be fighting?"

"Like you," Toshiro smirked, raising an eyebrow at Soifon, who growled at him.

"Children," Kenny said, a sadistic grin stretching across his face. "Of course Taicho-sama has chosen one of our new captains to test him as well as Kagome-san,"

The captains were shocked again as Kenpachi became the voice of reason. Kenpachi, well aware of what he had just done smiled wider, and stared InuYasha down.

InuYasha looked rather unsure at Kenpachi's look, but chose not to comment, instead bowing to Yamamoto. "I would be pleased to test Kagome-san," he said.

"Very good," Yamamoto said. "You are all dismissed. We will gather in an hour for the battle in the training area out by the west gate."

:-:-: **:-:-:** :-:-:

Kagome grinned. The bright light was finally fading, and Sesshomaru had stopped howling. The jewel embedded within her mask pulsed once, twice, and hummed in contentment.

"Hurry, now." Kagome chided. "We will be late, and their meeting is almost adjourned."

"It is strange walking on two legs again," Sesshomaru admitted, walking out of the settling debris. "But not completely unfamiliar."

Sesshomaru had long silver hair, stretching almost to his knees. He was wearing the traditional black haori and hakama and sandals of the shinigami, but Kagome made sure that the hole where his heart was, was carefully concealed. The remanants of his mask were two bone, spiked arches, which curled over both of his shoulders, and attached to a chest plate, black and blending in with his haori. Two swords rested at his waist.

"Ah, Bakusaiga," he rested his hand against his familiar weapon. "And Tensaiga," he acknowledged.

"Come now," Kagome laughed. "We must be back,"

Grabbing onto his arm, she flashed them both back to the meeting room.

:-:-: **:-:-:** :-:-:

Kagome sat Sesshomaru down above where she was waiting. Making sure he was completely concealed was simple, seeing as the Shikon no Tama did most of the concealing for her as it was absorbing his negative energy.

Toshiro and Soifon were the first to exit the building, bickering with each other over something that Kagome could really care less about. Slowly, the members of the Gotei 13 formed a small semi-circle around where she stood, waiting for Yamamoto.

When he finally approached, they parted ways for him, and three more people followed behind him. Kagome willed herself to be calm- she could sense old emotions and memories flooding through her. Bitterness quickly followed her sadness however. She thought back to the final battle with Naraku.

:-:-: **:-:-:** :-:-:

_As soon as she had placed her hands on the completed jewel, the world around her went black. She could hear her friends calling out to her, searching and yelling in vain, but nothing she did seemed to make it back to them._

_The darkness seemed to recede, yet only in part, the terrain changing and land forming beneath her feet. Sand formed, sliding through her bare toes. The red and white priestess outfit she wore was dirty and torn, but functional._

_Kagome decided the best thing to do was walk, as she was wide open in the dark space, with nothing but the jewel and a broken bow for protection. It was not long before she lost all sense of time, for she walked on and on, never tiring, never sleeping, never hungry._

_Sometimes, the voices of Sango, Miroku, and InuYasha would reach her, but all her replies were in vain. It was in, perhaps, a moment of insanity that a new voice reached her- a darkly seductive voice that she could not place._

_**We know you do not belong here, so why do you linger?**_

"_What?" she cried, turning around and around, searching for the bodiless voice. Fear made her voice tremble, and the thought of a companion after all this time made her chest ache furiously._

_**Your purity has done well to protect you thus far. But you have become weak, and it will help you much longer. Why do you not leave?**_

"_I can't," she sobbed, falling to her knees. "InuYasha hasn't come, and I don't know where to go,"_

_**You rely on others too much.**_

_Kagome continued to sob quietly, lying in the sand. A wind, the first presence other than herself, washed comfortingly over her._

_**We can change that, you know.**_

"_Who are you?" Kagome asked again, frustration and hopelessness lacing her tone. She pounded her fist on the sand. "Why have you only come to you now?"_

_**It is your weakness and anger that has called us to you, though we have been here all along. Now, we are finally able to help you.**_

_The prospect of help drew Kagome's attention._

_**You no longer have a purpose- this is what you have suffered for 500 years. But we will give you one, if you so wish.**_

"_Please, anything! I'll go crazy," she sobbed. "I want to see InuYasha and the others again- or even my family. Souta, Mama, and Jii-chan… anything!"_

_**The next time you see them, will be twilight- at the passing of their souls from one realm to the next.**_

_The thing gave a malicious laugh, and Kagome wondered just what she had gotten herself into._

_**We are the Shikon no Tama, and you are our host.**_

_Kagome felt a bright, blossoming pain engulf her, and she screamed. It attacked her from all sides of her body, and she writhed on the ground, straining against invisible hands, waiting for her release. Darkness obscured her vision, and once, her flailing hands touched something long, hard and cold. The pain overwhelmed her mind, and she felt like she was sinking into the darkness._

"_InuYasha! Please, help me! InuYashaaaa!"_

:-:-: **:-:-:** :-:-:

Kagome grinned, bowing before Yamamoto. "Thank you, Yamamoto-sama, for allowing me this."

"This is who you will be fighting- InuYasha, newly appointed captain of the 9th Division." Kagome stared at the familiar amber eyes and silver hair, watching the little dog ears twist and turn.

"It would be a pleasure." She said, her voice much lower, and full of such emotion, that it took Byakuya by surprise. He had been carefully scrutinising her face, both watching and admiring the stony quality of her expression. He had never seen someone so emotionless. Yet the deep, bitter tone in her voice caught him off guard. She bowed again.

"I look forward to it," InuYasha chuckled, his hand resting on a battered hilt at his hip.

"We will meet in an hour by the west gate. Kenpachi will show you the way," the old captain said, turning to walk away.

"Taicho-sama," Kagome said, dropping to one knee, respectfully. "I have only one request."

"Oh?" he chuckled, clearly amused. Turning around, he waited for her next words.

"I have with me my closest and truest friend- if I pass your test, I request him be my vice captain."

"How now," Yamamoto was still amused. "Can you expect me to allow another completely foreign shinigami into such high a position?"

"If I prove myself to you, then there should be no question about who I keep closest to me." She said, head still bowed. "And should he ever do something to displease you, you may do as you will with him."

Yamamoto chuckled again, and stared down at the young girl bowed before him. "And who is this…?"

"Sesshomaru," she said, gesturing to the empty space beside her. The captains and vice captains whispered amongst themselves again- for surely she knew there was no one beside her.

And then he appeared, materializing in the very spot she gestured to. Long silver hair swayed in a faint breeze, and whispered over his armour and swords. Kagome stared at the captain then, with such a strong look, and something in Yamamoto's face changed- and hardened.

Murmurs were instantly silenced by Yamamoto's hand. "Very well,"

**To Be Continued…**

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**A/N:** Hoooboy! So, now Sesshomaru's in the story- and a little bit about mysterious Kagome for you. Just so you know, I didn't include his fluffy for a reason... because I couldn't have him looking too dog like... but you will see it later on. Kukuku... next chapter- more on Ichigo and the gang!! And of course, Kagome's fight with InuYasha... and the other two mysterious people who followed Yamamoto out of the building!!

Please review!

**ancient-relic**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **Heyyyyyy! This is the first chapter starting on my new MONDAY-UPDATE regimen. I hope this works out... Hah hahah.

Now, on with the long anticipated fight between Kagome and InuYasha!! However, I'm not making any promises... it probably won't be what you're expecting. XD And also, a new surprise!!

This title is 'moon'. It's not a phase of the sun, or anything... but I wanted a new title, because this chapter marks Kagome's official start with the Soul Society. Now, on with the chapter!!

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**Disclaimer:** I do not own InuYasha, or Bleach. But I've recently fallen in love with both of them all over again!!

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**Hakumei Hollow**

**Chapter Six: Hisakata**

**By ancient-relic**

_He watched silently as his companions bickered, trying to decide on which way to go. He already suspected the path they were going to take- the one towards all the powerful auras. Of course, that was the way that he'd choose to go if it were up to him, but unfortunately, it wasn't._

_He sighed, waiting for them to come to a consensus. Maybe if he just started walking, they'd follow._

:-:-: **:-:-:** :-:-:

Kagome grinned as Sesshomaru fell into silent step behind her. She walked nowhere in particular, and it made those who were following her more than slightly curious. However, she was subtly making her way towards the training ground where she was supposed to fight with InuYasha... she wondered how long it would take for the shinigami to figure it out.

"Sesshomaru," she said suddenly, though not turning to look at him.

"Yes," he replied, curious at her sudden inquiry.

"You should walk beside me." She said, cutting him off as he was about to comment. "I am not your Lady- you do not need to walk behind me."

"Kagome," Sesshomaru replied, moving closer, but remaining behind her left shoulder. "I do this out of respect and gratitude. I cannot, out of duty and honour. Please do not ask,"

Kagome sighed. Again, she felt momentarily eclipsed by her time in the Feudal Era. "Very well," she replied.

She then turned her attention back to the captains who were following curiously behind them, respectfully far away. Toshiro, Soifon, and Kenpachi were following them still, talking amongst themselves and their assistants. Her mind wandered towards the fourth captain who had confronted her at the gates... Byakuya Kuchiki. She wondered where he was now.

As they entered the training expanse by the west gate, Kagome surveyed it quickly with a sweep of her aura. It was simple- a medical facility for injuries, and benches for spectators. Otherwise, the area was large, flat, and empty.

"Please remain out of the way," Kagome said, as the others filed into the field. "While I warm up for my test."

The other captains moved respectfully out of the way, and seated themselves along the walls and benches. Sesshomaru took a step forward towards the center of the ring, and Kagome followed, removing her zanpakuto.

"We will not use blades for now," she said quietly, placing it on the ground. "Be careful not to give any demonic abilities away," she added.

Sesshomaru nodded in response, placing Tensaiga and Bakusaiga alongside Kagome's longsword.

"We will start hand-to-hand."

With Kagome's instruction, they faced off in the middle of the arena. For a moment, everything was still.

And then, the two figures broke out into a flurry of motion.

It took a few seconds for Toshiro, Kenpachi, and even Soifon to catch up to the movements of their limbs, they were going so fast.

"Did you see that?" Rangiku said, pointing. "She had him in a head lock, and he just poked her, and she let go,"

"Maybe she's ticklish?" Yachiru suggested.

"Not likely," Toshiro said, captivated by the two moving figures. "He hit a pressure point."

"Watch Kagome's legs," Soifon gushed. "She anchors one, and uses the other to manipulate his defence."

"Why are _you_ watching her legs?" Toshiro shot back, sending his fellow captain a glare.

"Because it's absolutely amazing how she uses them!!" she cackled. "It's hard to add a third limb into your combat style without throwing yourself off balance," she continued to explain, "and still keep it effective to the point of forcing your opponent to adjust his defence! Just the position of her legs has forced him on the defensive, because he can't be sure whether or not she'll use them."

Omaeda chose then to add his two cents. "She doesn't waste any movement what-so-ever!" He had hearts in his eyes. "That's one dangerous woman!"

Kenpachi studied her carefully. What Omaeda said was true- she moved with speed, one move transforming into the next, as if she knew how her opponent would respond. With that thought, his attention shifted to that Sesshomaru, with his strange armour.

He moved defensively, but struck strong blows. Using feinting and other defensive movements, he manipulated Kagome's attacks into openings. However, because she seemed to predict his movements, she was already prepared for his attack. Kagome was currently relying on speed, in comparison to Sesshomaru's finesse, yet brutal strength. However, Sesshomaru was almost equally as quick, and combined, they would be a deadly combination. Kenpachi suspected he was not fighting using his full strength.

Suddenly, they came to a stop, their hair fluttering slowly to their backs.

"Now," Kagome directed, cracking her knuckles and stretching one leg. "You gather Tensaiga, and come at me to kill,"

"Very well," Sesshomaru said, walking over and fastening Tensaiga into his obi.

"She wants him to come at her like that?" Rangiku said, shocked. "Is she crazy? She's not even arming herself!"

"Ah," Yachiru spoke up. "But watch Kagome-sama. She's compressing her aura into a shield."

As soon as Yachiru spoke, Sesshomaru disappeared.

"Where...?" Omaeda questioned, as they looked to see where Sesshomaru had disappeared to. However, a grinding sound ripped through the air, and they turned to see Sesshomaru suspended in mid air, his blade being held a foot above Kagome's head by an invisible force.

"Just like before!" Toshiro said, thinking about Kenpachi's attack on Kagome.

"But look!" Soifon shouted, pointing. "She's countering!"

Kagome's eyes were closed, but she raised her hand in a wide arc, and Sesshomaru was repelled.

He disappeared, and came again and again, striking from all angles, Kagome swinging and twirling and repelling him every time. It looked like she was doing a strange intricate dance- and all the while, her eyes were closed.

"She's gathering something in her hand-" Rangiku said, pointing. "Look!"

But the glowing light that had been emanating from her right hand suddenly stopped, and Sesshomaru sheathed his sword, and stood beside her. At some point, he had placed his other blade beside his first.

"Why'd they stop...?" Yachiru pouted, disappointed.

Yamamoto entered the training area, followed by the rest of the captains and their assistants. A crowd was gathering, and they noted that even some of the students from the academy had shown up to watch the test.

"We will now begin the fight," Yamamoto said.

:-:-: **:-:-:** :-:-:

Ichigo growled in frustration, tempted to pull his hair out. Urahara and Yoriuchi were in the middle of yet another spat, after emphasizing the need for stealth.

"You're going to alert anyone nearby that we're here," he grit out, temporarily distracting them from their argument.

"Well, what's your idea then, strawberry?" Yoriuchi said, resting her hands on her hips in an aggressive stance.

As he was about to reply, Orihime spoke up. "They're all gathering somewhere," she said.

"What?" Urahara said, turning his head to her, curiously. "Where?"

"Over there, Orihime pointed, her face screwed up in concentration. Urahara was surprised. He turned to Yoriuchi with question written across his face.

"They're at the west training grounds," Yoriuchi spoke aloud. "All twelve captains,"

"Why?" Ichigo questioned.

"I don't know," she replied. "But let's find out!"

:-:-: **:-:-:** :-:-:

Kagome watched as InuYasha walked forwards, his step arrogant. She felt a familiar tickle at the back of her throat- the urge to yell 'sit!'. But she knew the rosary had long since been lost to time, and remained silent. Sesshomaru handed her blade to her, and she attached it to her back. Giving him a nod, she felt him step back, moving to join the edge of the crowd.

InuYasha's eyes scanned her small form, looking- she knew- for little quirks that would give her away. At least he seemed to be less brash than he had in life. However, she held herself resolutely still, refusing to give anything away. She returned his action, however, noting that he was tense, almost on the balls of his feet, and his hand already resting on Tetsusaiga.

"Ready," Yamamoto said, raising his hand in the air, before dropping it. "Begin."

Kagome stood as still as stone, waiting for InuYasha to move. She wondered just how much his fighting style had changed, and opted to position herself on the balls of her feet, so she could simply evade his first attack.

InuYasha paused only a moment longer, watching. Then, with a familiar flick of his thumb, Tetsusaiga was unsheathed, and transformed. Kagome fought the urge to sigh as her eyes slid along the large curved fang, down to the furred pommel and hilt. As she felt memories from her past wash over her, a familiar anger filled her.

_**Why didn't you come for me?**_

InuYasha slid his left foot backwards, preparing to strike forwards. Kagome didn't pay attention. Her eyes slid out of focus, dazed.

_**Why did you leave me all alone in that dark place? Why did you stop looking?**_

With a grunt, InuYasha launched himself into the air, swinging Tetsusaiga with a mighty arc downwards toward her head.

_**Why?**_

"Kagome!" Soifon called out in alarm. "Kagome! Watch out!" The crowd gasped in alarm, watching the unresponsive girl, and the white-haired captain on paths for collision.

_**Why?**_

Kagome stood there, her head partially bowed, her stance relaxed. Sesshomaru watched his brother with thinly concealed anger, and confusion at Kagome's strange unresponsiveness.

"_Why?"_ Kagome cried, whipping her head upwards, brilliant eyes shining, full of all the emotions she had lost touch with over the years that had passed.

InuYasha, confused at this strange reaction, moved to pull out of his attack, but found he could not. There was a strange gravity that was pulling him towards her, and the look in her eyes screamed at something inside of him. There was a dull ache in the back of his head- like an old injury that began to hurt before an oncoming rainstorm. Why did he feel like he was forgetting something extremely important?

His blade collided with a gut-wrenching scream with mid air, and InuYasha was flung backwards with a flash of white-pink light. Then, Kagome disappeared. InuYasha picked himself off the ground, watching warily for her re-appearance.

His nose wiggled slightly as he scented the air, and his dog ears twitched rapidly, searching for Kagome's presence. Then, they flattened, and in the motion of recoil, Kagome appeared in his face.

Grabbing him solidly by the shoulders, she flung him over her head, before launching herself off the ground and into the air after him. Almost 50 feet in the air, and well out of ear-shot, Kagome caught up to him.

Dazed by the rapid change in altitude, InuYasha rolled in mid-air to look at her face in confusion. "Why do you hate me so much...?" he questioned, feeling the nearly tangible emotion that poured from her eyes.

"Because you left me behind," she whispered, her eyes closing in a pained motion. Then, seemingly in slow motion, she reached forwards, grabbing him by his robes, around his neck.

With a shoulder-popping ferocity, she threw him back to the ground, towards which InuYasha hurtled like a bullet. He was too shocked to react- the dull throb in the back of his head and the pained look in Kagome's eyes was mind-numbing. Back to the ground, he watched amid his white hair, as she fell above him, her stare never leaving his own.

The impact on the ground knocked him unconscious. As his eyes slid closed, Kagome stabbed the ground beside his head with his blade, which had reverted, as pro-quo, to a dinged, battered state. _Why do you hate me...?_

Whispers, rather than cheers erupted through the crowd, all in awe. This strange girl had managed to defeat the newest, and undoubtedly one of the most powerful captains that the Gotei 13 had seen in a long time without even drawing her zanpakuto. She hadn't used kidou, either, and had thrown him into the air, and slammed him into the ground all in under a minute.

"Ahem," Yamamoto cleared his throat. The crowd silenced. "Congratulations," he began.

"Your third seat will take you to your new quarters. Tomorrow morning, you will meet the rest of your team, and get acquainted. You will also be brought your captain's cloak."

"Thank you," Kagome said, bowing so low she could touch her face to her knee, if she raised her leg.

"Miroku," Yamamoto said. "Step forward,"

Kagome's head shot up a second time that day as a third familiar face stepped through the crowd, purple eyes smiling almost as widely as his mouth.

**To Be Continued...**

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**A/N: **And, CUT! Now INTRODUCING Miroku!! Since Kagome's brought along Sesshomaru, Miroku automatically becomes the third seat, instead of vice captain like he wanted. In the near future, he and Sesshomaru are going to have to duke it out. We've also seen a little bit more of Ichigo and co... I apologize. I'd forgotten about them for a while... But they'll make a greater appearance in the next chapter... AS WELL AS A CONFRONTATION WITH BYAKUYA! With whom he confronts... welllll. That's a surprise too. XD

This makes Kagome and InuYasha two of the three new captains replacing Kaname, Gin, and Aizen... so who is the third, if Kagome has both Miroku and Sesshomaru in her squad? I'll leave it to you to guess!! BWUHAHAHAHAHA!

With all those things in mind, I'll leave you to anxiously anticipate the next chapter!! But in the meantime, please review!!

Lots of love,

**ancient-relic**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **So, this isn't monday. But I was really busy, and it was my birthday on the weekend, and I made this chapter EXTRA SPECIAL! So I hope everyone enjoies it... because it made me want to kill myself.

No...

Not really.

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**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach or InuYasha. But I do own the scary images tattooed on the undersides of my eyelids, which have inspired Ichigo's creepy nightmares. Lawl.

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**Hakumei Hollow**

**Chapter Seven: Hanshou**

**By ancient-relic**

_He grinned, because in retrospect, this was going to turn out quite nicely. He hadn't really planned it this way, and at times, he wanted to smack himself for rejecting the position of captain. Yet as things began to come together, he wanted to laugh in delight._

_She'd told him that the one that they'd been waiting for would come soon, and he would have to serve under her in order to remember his past. The pain- the dull ache that had quickly made a place for itself in the back of his head- reminded him of something long forgotten. _

_And now, with things slowly coming together, he was going to uncover the mystery of his past._

:-:-: **:-:-:** :-:-:

Kagome lounged in her office, taking the blank walls in with little interest. The place was so... decrepit. She would have to re-decorate.

"Sesshomaru," she called, raising her hand to help it carry.

"Yes," he appeared in the window, crouched lightly on the sill.

"Don't be so strange. People will get suspicious." She chastised, folding her hands into her sleeves.

"I am an animal by nature," Sesshomaru pointed out. "Not unlike Komamura-sama."

"Just don't go giving it away, is all." Kagome said, before sighing. "This place needs some paint. Can you take care of it?"

"You trust me to... re-decorate?" Sesshomaru paused to choose the right word.

"Sure, just think of it as a chance to use your artistic license, or whatever. I think I need a nap."

"Very well," Sesshomaru chuckled before disappearing out the window.

"But first," Kagome murmured to herself, running her hand down her forehead and across her eyes, "I need something to _eat._"

Her eyes flashed red in the moonlight.

:-:-: **:-:-:** :-:-:

Ichigo watched from his high vantage point atop the scaffold as captains milled about the winding roads. He easily caught sight of Kenpachi, who went in several circles before breaking through a wall to get to the bar he'd been looking for. This caused Ichigo to laugh, which caused Yoriuchi to smack him.

Except, Uryu was in between them on the scaffold, and he lost his balance, and bumped Ichigo, who ended up falling off the scaffold. Chad caught Uryu as he fell, his other arm supporting Orihime, who had been on his other side.

Urahara hid his wide smile behind a fan.

"Shit..." Ichigo grumbled, picking himself up from the ground. "That's gonna be a bitch in the morning,"

"Oh suck it up," Yoriuchi grinned, smacking his shoulder. Ichigo moaned in pain.

"Come on, everyone. Let's go underground. It's already dark, and we don't want to be caught... unawares." Urahara said, glancing at the rising moon.

"By what?" Orihime questioned, walking after Urahara as everyone trailed after him.

"The Hollow killer," Rukia said, appearing beside them. "It could be anywhere, and we wouldn't even know it."

"It's true," Yoriuchi said, as they all entered a steep tunnel, the dark stairway lit only by a torch every dozen feet. "She's already infiltrated the Soul Society- and I don't think they can sense her, either."

"Oh boy," Orihime shivered, the chill not in the air, but in Yoriuchi's words.

"Don't worry, Orihime," Ichigo said, placing his large warm hand on her shoulder. "I won't let anything happen to you guys."

"Be careful what you promise- your words might not be enough this time, berry-tan." Urahara said, already ahead and hidden in the shadows. His laugh echoed eerily off the walls.

:-:-: **:-:-:** :-:-:

Byakuya opened his eyes, and rose from his raised futon. Something was calling to him from the night. Every time he closed his eyes, a haunting cry wafted through his mind... and he couldn't tell whether he was making it up, or if he was actually hearing something from outside.

Pulling on his black haori over his white night yukata, he grabbed Zenbonsakura and got ready to leave the Kuchiki compound. Checking to make sure no one would see his exit; he decided it would be best to stick to the shadows. If he used the flash-step, it might leave a signature that another shinigami could follow. And that was unacceptable.

_I'll start at the scaffold- it's got the best view of the Soul Society,_ he mused. That way, if there was something suspicious, hopefully he'd be able to get a glance of it.

Ducking through the gate, he moved slowly along the wall of his complex. Trees whistled lightly in the breeze, but other than that, the night was silent.

_Then what..._ he closed his eyes, thinking. _...there._

The sound wafted through the night again. Listening carefully, he headed towards the scaffold. The sound seemed to both grow and shrink- he could hear it more clearly at some times than others.

Yet he could not tell where it was coming from, no matter how hard he listened. The harder he tried, the harder it was to find. Keeping his eyes closed, he let his ears guide his feet. Finally, when he was beneath the scaffold, he opened his eyes.

There, before him, stretched the Soul Society. He could see three of the four gates, as well as the main headquarters for the Council. Yet everything was quiet, and everyone was asleep, with exception of those guarding the gates. He did not want to talk to them, so instead chose to remain where he was, scrutinising the village.

Then, the eerie humming echoed through the night again, louder than he had ever heard it before. Looking straight up after the sound, Byakuya's eyes zeroed in on the little figure high atop the scaffold. She was swinging her legs over the side of the scaffold, and a long, tattered cloak whipped through the air behind her on the crisp breeze.

"You, intruder," Byakuya said, jumping into the air, his hand on Zenbonsakura as he touched down. His other hand steadied his haori, on his shoulders.

"Me?" her voice tinkled melodiously through the air. Long dark hair covered her face from his view.

"Who are you? And what business have you here?" he questioned, sliding his zanpakuto an inch out of its sheath.

"Me?" she repeated, laughing. The sound tickled Byakuya's ears in a sickeningly sweet way.

"Yes," he said, drawing his sheath. However, he didn't take a step towards her, as she rose from her seated position. Tense, he watched her hands, should they stray to a weapon.

They were small and delicate, partially hidden beneath her tattered sleeves. She was small, but not unnaturally so. She looked to be slightly taller than Soifon... and around the same size as Kagome.

"Wouldn't you like to know." She said, her grin tangible, yet invisible. Tilting her head upwards towards the sky, another breeze kept her hair from revealing her face. Irritation flashed through him.

But then, she turned towards him; lightly, like a dancer, on her toes, and he saw her face.

A grotesque mask covered her face, jagged pieces stopping between her nose and her mouth. Pouty lips were partially visible. The eyes were angled and almost slits, resembling the kabuki-style of the human world. Horns protruded from several spots at the top, forming an almost-crown. Beads of an unknown material- bone, gems... glass... hung from delicate strands from the larger horns. However, in the center of the mask- around the forehead, a pink-purple orb was surrounded by runes and seals, and was currently glowing a faint purple-white.

"What-"

"Don't you mean who?" a voice tickled the back of his neck, by his ear. The girl was at his back. Tensing, he used shunpo to dance away. From several feet away, he watched the girl as she lay on her stomach in mid air. It looked as if she was resting on a hard plane, but he knew better. It was a fairly advanced technique of expelling reiatsu from the body. However, it was only usually expelled from the limbs- the hands and the feet. Because it used reiatsu so quickly, to expel it from enough of the body to lay in the air meant she had either a special technique, or enormous amounts of reiatsu.

"Who," he intoned, "are you?"

"Well, gosh, aren't you rude?" she chuckled. The voice was behind him. Turning again, he disappeared to several feet away.

"That isn't going to work you know," she said, still behind him.

Byakuya was astounded. How was she doing that? There was no way to predict where he was going to be so accurately.

"Well," she said, a snide drawl. She waited for him to turn around before she continued. "I've just synchronized my aura with yours. You're just pulling me around all over the place."

How did she know- "I can read your mind, silly," She stepped closer. "It's really not that hard- you think so loudly."

Red eyes stared out at him curiously from behind the mask. Straining, he found he couldn't move away. Looking down, he was floored to see a binding kido holding him in place.

"When did you do that?" he grit out, his mind whirring furiously. He had no idea what this... _thing_ "I'm not a thing!" was capable of.

"Well if you find me so offensive, I'll just leave. I didn't have to let you find me, after all." She grinned.

Stepping back, the kido disappeared. Byakuya almost lost his balance, but braced himself, drawing Zenbonsakura.

"I'll only ask you once more," he said, pointing his sword at her. He tensed, preparing to lunge- or defend.

"Well, you've asked me more than one question," she said. "Which one are you planning on repeating?"

Byakuya, his temper simmering violently beneath the surface of his battle face, roared. She was mocking him!

"Ah, you're right," she said. "How rude of me. To answer your questions... it was a simple task of wordless kido. And I can't tell you my name. That wouldn't be any fun, really."

She disappeared, and Byakuya used shunpo again. Feeling her presence behind him, he thrust Zenbonsakura backwards, under his left arm. It met some resistance, before sliding gently. Had he pierced her?

Turning around, his eyes widened in shock at what he had indeed pierced. She was holding up her hand, the blade straight through her palm. She had directed the blade away from her face with her right hand, which was crossed over her chest. However, she wasn't bleeding.

"That wasn't very nice," she said, a threatening timber entering her voice. "I really don't like it when people like you do thing like this."

Flexing her hand, she pulled it backwards along the blade with a sickening squelching sound. At the tip, she rotated her palm, the blade slicing through more of her flesh, until her hand was partially severed. Then, fisting her hand around the blade, he felt an enormous reiatsu pour from her fist, and his blade shattered.

Holding up her hand as if for inspection, he watched as her hand stitched itself back together, tendons and muscles and bone reattaching themselves before the rest of the flesh and skin covered it. Finally, her hand rejuvenated, she looked him in the eye again. Her red eyes glowed eerily, and seemed to pulsate.

"I should kill you for this," she chuckled. "I should. _Yes, shouldn't we? His soul is so tantalizing... I know, but it's not time. Imagine it ripened... with fear, anger..._ _**hatred**._" she spoke aloud, her eyes never leaving him. Byakuya wondered who she was talking to.

"_Like mine,"_ she whispered.

A sword materialized on her back, as tall as her, wrapped in bandages. It looked like a broadsword- not unlike Ichigo Kurosaki's, the substitute shinigami. She stretched her left arm up to reach it- in what seemed like slow motion. The bandages fell away, revealing a long white sword hooked into a crooked point, like a scythe's blade had been attached to a broadsword. A white ring pierced the back of the blade below and opposite the hook.

"I am the one you call... Hakumei Hollow." She said, slicing the air. Byakuya caught glimpses of Hueco Mundo through the rip in the sky. "Pass on my message, Byakuya Kuchiki."

Her last words were but whispers. "Divine retribution is coming. Pray that your souls be saved."

:-:-: **:-:-:** :-:-:

Miroku peeked into his new captain's quarters. They were empty.

"Kagome-sama?" he called, stepping inside. "Kagome-sama?"

"Monk," a voice came from the shadows. A blade pressed against his throat.

"Sesshomaru-san?" Miroku questioned, as Sesshomaru stepped out of the shadows. "What are you doing here?"

Sesshomaru remained silent for a moment, looking at the paint buckets he had procured. "Direct your question at yourself, monk. You are trespassing in captain's quarters."

"I'm the third seat, Sesshomaru. Get a hold of yourself!" Miroku was getting a little exasperated. "This is my division, and my captain's quarters! I have as much a right as you to be here."

"Not while Kagome is out," he growled. "Leave, monk."

"Stop calling me that!" Miroku replied, turning to leave. "I have not followed a god for a long time."

And with that, he disappeared into the darkness, sliding the shoji doors shut softly behind him. Sesshomaru wondered if Miroku remembered his past. It seemed InuYasha did not remember Kagome- or his older half-brother. Did he even remember himself...?

"You didn't have to shoo him out, you know," Kagome said, wiping her mouth with her sleeve, stepping in through the window. "Miroku's pretty smart. He'll figure it out soon enough."

"And are you okay with that?" Sesshomaru asked, completely serious.

"Absolutely not," Kagome replied with a smile. She placed her zanpakuto against the wall beside the couch, before slumping onto it.

"Then what will you do?" Sesshomaru questioned after a moment of silence. "If he remembers? If he figures it out?"

"I will kill him," Kagome stated, rolling over to face the back of the couch and effectively ending the conversation.

"Now get some rest. Duties begin tomorrow."

:-:-: **:-:-:** :-:-:

Ichigo woke up, a damp sweat on his face. He'd had another dream- this one much more peaceful than the last. However, something morbid was lurking at the edge of his thoughts... and he couldn't place it. It made the hair on the back of his arms and at the name of his neck stand on end.

He remembered his dream, closing his eyes.

_Light hands brushed across his face- his hair, his ears, his eyes, his mouth. A soft scent washed over him, and he wanted to lift his hands and return these gently gestures. Yet something bound him, preventing him from responding. His mind seemed to be the only thing functioning._

"_Wow," a voice breathed, her breath saccharine. "This is something else. And it really isn't Tokyo anymore,"_

_His eyes cracked open, and bright brown eyes stared fondly into his own. And then-_

A ripping scream tore through the air, and a red-eyed face replaced the one on the back of his eyelids.

The face had come to him while he was awake, now, too. Sitting up in his sweat-covered haori, he looked around. Everyone seemed to be asleep... so the scream must have been from his own head.

"_Ichigo... Ich...i...go..."_ a voice echoed through the huge room, and Ichigo turned his head left and right, searching for the source of the sound.

Red eyes watched from the darkness as her illusions made his hair stand on end and his skin damp with sweat. Satisfaction stole across her features before she returned to her quarters.

"_I see you... Ich...i...go..."_

**To Be Continued...**

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**A/N: **Well, that's that. A little bit of confrontation, on three fronts. And more Byakuya, and more Ichigo. A little about Miroku at the beginning, there, if you were a little confused. The third new captain will be cleared up... soon...

BWAHAHAHAHAHA!

Ahem.

Well, please tell me what you think!! In a review, of course! I look forward to hearing from you!

**ancient-relic**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Wow, I know it's been a long wait... but I made this one a lot longer than my orginal plan to make up for it, okayyyy? With summer coming up, I PLEDGE (not just promise) that I will write and update a lot more! I love my stories too much to just leave them :D Some new twists (okay, maybe just one) for you in this chapter... dun dun duhhh...

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**Disclaimer: **I own a blackberry! How cool is that? I just got it... it's so new and precious!! But I don't own anything like Bleach or InuYasha...

**

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**Hakumei Hollow**

**Chapter Eight: Hinode**

**By ancient-relic**

_He stirred, groggy in the morning sunlight. There was a strange tickle in the back of his mind... one that had been bothering him for a long time. He stretched a pale hand up to run through his long, dark hair, massaging the knot at the base of his skull. The pain was dull, similar to a headache, but it was slightly more irritating, and a little less painful. He always managed to feel like he was forgetting about something important._

_As he sat upright, allowing his body to gradually adjust to the new day, he found his mind drifting as it often did every morning, to his brother. His older brother, who had defected from the ranks of the Soul Society, had not been heard from for a long time. Though he had stepped up to take the position his brother left behind, he still couldn't help but feel inadequate. _

_He wasn't much suited for the position of captain, nor was he fond of fighting. He much preferred tactics and espionage, although he knew he never really loosed his true fighting ability. His brother always teased that in another life, he must have been some kind of sadistic, evil, superpower to be as talented and gifted as he was. Even though he was the opposite of that now (minus, of course, the superpower part) some part inside of him was inclined to agree with his older brother. And then, he inevitably got to thinking; and he wondered who his brother had been in _his_ last life, too..._

::-::-:: **::-::-::** ::-::-::

Kagome mumbled a curse under her breath. _Someone_ was poking her in the side. _Someone_ _was..._

Kagome swatted at the hand. It returned a moment later. _Someone_...

Kagome rolled away from the hand, and promptly fell off the couch.

"_Someone_ is going to _die._" Kagome growled, righting herself, leaning back against the couch that had been her temporary bed until now.

"Kagome," Sesshomaru greeted. Kagome turned her sleepy eyes onto her second in command, and frowned. He sounded strangely jovial. She made a mental note to figure out why he seemed so perky.

"Kagome-sama, it is a pleasure to welcome you to your first official day as the captain of the 3rd Division," Miroku grinned.

Stiffening, Kagome looked up at the second seat who stared down at her, amused. Rising to her feet, Kagome snatched her blade and strapped it in its rightful place. Memories of last night flooded her memory. She had fooled around with Byakuya- _the clueless idiot_- and screwed with Ichigo- _the stupid, clueless idiot-_ and had promptly devoured some random, wandering Hollow in Hueco Mundo before returning promptly to her quarters and crashing on her couch.

"Kagome-sama?" Miroku queried. The young woman's gaze snapped back to him, and he smiled again.

"Yes, what to do now?" Kagome waved her hand.

"Here are your robes," Miroku passed her a bundle. "And here is the new cape denoting your status."

Kagome accepted the bundle, and passed it to Sesshomaru. She noticed that he was wearing his little vice-captain insignia on his upper arm already.

"Breakfast with the captains and vice-captains will start in 20 minutes," Miroku seemed to recite. "Dinner, tonight, will be taken with your new team, where you will properly introduce yourself and great your team. Tomorrow, you will have your first training session with everyone. Any questions?"

Kagome scratched her head for a moment. She hadn't really expected that there'd be much work involved... but then again, she supposed that no one really jumped to captain, anyways. Although, from what she heard from Kenny...

"No, that's cool." Miroku took her comfortable speech in stride. "I guess I'll see you after breakfast?"

"Don't you want to know where it is...?" Miroku wondered aloud.

"Nah," Kagome grinned, her eyes glinting briefly. "I'll follow my nose."

"Then I will see you before lunch to go over some other minute details," Miroku bowed, and left the room, with a passing dark look at the wordless Sesshomaru, who still stood holding Kagome's new robes.

"You--!" Kagome turned on Sesshomaru with a pointed finger as soon as Miroku was out of hearing range.

"Poking me--!" Sesshomaru simply sniggered lightly at Kagome's irritation, brushing her off and handing her the robes she had passed to him earlier.

"Dress carefully, and let us be off. We must head to the breakfast." He spoke calmly, watching her grumble as she disappeared into the little bathroom attached to the office.

Moments later she walked out of the bathroom, changed and ready to go. She had tied her long hair into a long tail from the top of her head, mimicking the style his hair was in for today. Her white captain's cape had a high collar and long sleeves. The black sleeves of her shinigami kimono barely were seen, just peeking out from the white and tapering down to hide her hands. Her zanpakuto was hidden beneath her cape, but the hilt poked out by her head.

"Ready?" she questioned. As she and Sesshomaru studied each other, Kagome realized something with a giggle. "We're opposites," she grinned.

Sesshomaru merely raised an eyebrow in response.

"Oh, you know," Kagome gestured as they walked. "You've got white hair, black kimono. Me, black hair with white kimono- or mostly, anyways. Point is, opposites. How fun!"

"Indeed," Sesshomaru responded from his spot slightly behind her.

They walked for a while longer in silence before either of them spoke again. Kagome led them unwittingly through a maze of streets to a little place where the captains were gathering.

"There will be some surprises here today," Sesshomaru said quietly as they paused outside.

"Oh?" It was Kagome's turn to raise an eyebrow.

Sesshomaru merely held the door open for her to pass through, and she did. Her light mood had faded into tense anxiety, and now she expected the worst... whatever it was. Kagome walked into the little cafe where many of the captains were already seated, and took her place beside Soifon, who greeted her with a grin.

"Coffee is over there," she gestured. "For those of us who are night-hawks,"

"Delicious," Kagome grinned. Sesshomaru returned a moment later with a cup of coffee for Kagome, already one step ahead of the girl.

"And you're not the only one," Soifon pointed. Byakuya was nursing a coffee while reading through a manila folder. A red-headed vice-captain, who Kagome recognized as Renji, was already returning with another cup. Sticking his hand out, his assistant switched the mugs and Byakuya sipped it gently with a soft thank-you to his assistant.

Kagome grinned. "Late night?"

Byakuya tilted his head upwards to look at Kagome curiously. He regarded her long hair for a moment, and his mind drifted to the strange encounter he had late in the evening. Or early in the morning... whichever. Kagome's hair was lovely and dark, reminiscent of the strange figure on the scaffold. Again, he reiterated that the figure was the same height range as Kagome. Or at least between Soifon and Kagome, he corrected himself as he watched the two women converse.

There was an irritating feeling at the back of his head, and he felt like he was missing something very important. He hated missing important things, and granted, not much of importance had happened lately (everyone was maintaining a rigorous training schedule to be prepared for Aizen's inevitable return) so life had been fairly simple. Glancing once more at Kagome, Byakuya glanced back down to his folder. It was all the information that was available on the strange killings; but none of it seemed to add up.

The only similarity between all the killings was that they were all found in the same way. There were still many unknown variables; what kind of creature was doing the killing? When were the killings taking place? How was it done? What was the process? The creature- or _creatures_- as there could be more than one; was it harvesting souls? Was it eating the souls? Why did it only attack Hollows?

The questions welled up like a fountain, and Byakuya shut the folder with a sigh, trying to push it from his mind. He didn't feel like dealing with all the riddles- he was hungry, and

that irritating feeling in the back of his head was threatening to turn into a headache.

Slowly, the other captains and vice-captains had been filing in, and Byakuya counted. Yamamoto, Soifon, Kagome, Unohana, Shunsui, Jushiro, and himself was the total tally. All of their vice-captains sat directly to their left, and most were quiet in the early morning.

The room never really got rowdy until Toshiro and Kenpachi arrived; the combination of their vice-captains was a mixture for disaster. As if it had been rehearsed, three captains and their vices marched into the little eatery. Toshiro was red-faced as Kenpachi and their vices Rangiku and Yachiru followed behind him, all laughing wildly. Mayuri passed them in silence, a vaguely irritated look on his face as he moved to his seat, Nemu obligingly close behind.

"It's too early in the morning for any of this!" Toshiro grumbled, plopping down in his seat across from Kagome.

"Kagome," Kenpachi saluted in greeting, settling himself beside her.

"Morning, Kenny," Kagome greeted. Yachiru poked her head around Kenny's large frame.

"Kenny's in my seat!" she chirped. "But he wanted to sit beside Kagome, so I let him." Kagome raised an eyebrow and looked at Kenny, but he seemed to be deliberately not looking at her. Shrugging, Kagome relaxed back in her seat, and turned to Sesshomaru.

"So what is supposed to be unexpected?" she murmured to him.

"They are not here yet," was his only response. His attention was focused on Rangiku and Toshiro.

Kagome watched them bicker for a moment, and smirked when Toshiro sent a pleading look in her direction. She didn't know what his vice was teasing him about, but she decided to lend a hand.

"Good morning, Toshiro." Kagome smiled.

Grateful for the reprieve, Toshiro smiled back. "Good morning, Kagome-san."

"Good morning, Kagome-chan!" Rangiku grinned foxily at her from across the table. "How are you today?"

"A little stiff," Kagome rolled a shoulder for emphasis. "But otherwise fine, thank you for asking."

"Oh man, tell me about it- why, just the other day I was-" Rangiku began telling a story, but the figures walking in the door captured Kagome's attention so completely that she completely tuned the woman out. She could feel Sesshomaru's smugness rolling off him in waves, and she wanted to turn and strangle him. Of someone else's volition, she rose to her feet in surprise.

The captain of the fifth division strode through the threshold, young Hinamori following dutifully behind him. His long dark hair was worn in a messy, loose style similar to Shunsui's, but there was no mistaking his smooth alabaster complexion; his blood red eyes; his-

Sesshomaru knocked the back of Kagome's knees, and she fell back to her cushion, Sesshomaru's arm supporting her as she collapsed. Kagome was trembling, a myriad of emotions coursing through her. Deep within her, the Shikon pulsed furiously, demanding to be released, and it called to her Hollow-esque side. The darkness of Kagome's powers began to seep from her form as she struggled to retain the power, and Sesshomaru frowned in concentration as he used his youki to create a thin layer of power around her form to contain and mask Kagome's.

He could feel the dark power pushing at his mind, eagerly lapping at his own control, trying to turn the power and manipulate it. Centuries of control allowed him to ignore the call of the Shikon as Sesshomaru slowly forced the power back into Kagome's trembling form. Kenpachi, noticing the change in Kagome, turned and looked down at her, placing a hand at the small of her back. Immediately, Kagome's power latched onto Kenpachi's presence, and swarmed into his body. However, before Kenpachi had the chance to react to the power flooding through his system, the eye-patch he dutifully wore devoured it.

Sesshomaru glanced curiously at the eye-patch once before allowing Kagome to slump against him. The trembling remained; though this time, it was distinctly different. Her hands fisted into the cushion beneath her.

"Why didn't you tell me?" her voice was quiet, but hoarse.

Sesshomaru remained silent, ignoring the question. A quick, cautionary glance around the table told him that Kagome's collapse had not gone unnoticed. Eighteen sets of curious and concerned eyes were watching them carefully. With a decided sigh; quiet, so as couldn't be heard by their audience, Sesshomaru rose, pulling Kagome with him.

"Please excuse us from this breakfast. Kagome is not feeling well, and needs to rest." Sesshomaru spoke brusquely, golden eyes glancing from captain to captain, pausing once on Byakuya.

"Very well," Yamamoto said. "Be sure to take her to visit Unohana's division if she continues to feel unwell," he directed. Sesshomaru nodded in response before pulling Kagome closer. She fisted her hands in his robes, struggling to control her anger, and her sadness. Ashamed of being caught so off guard, she kept her face hidden against him, listening as he excused her behaviour, before promptly flashing them both out of the restaurant.

"She must have been awfully stiff," Rangiku spoke up a moment later, still glancing at the abandoned cushions. Yachiru looked over to her friend before glancing up at her captain, who was staring towards the door.

"Hey, Kenny," Yachiru spoke, catching onlookers off guard with her serious tone. "I'll handle things here, if you want."

Before Yachiru had even finished her sentence, Kenpachi's large form had already disappeared through the door. Immediately, murmers of gossip welled up in the room at the strange sight of the new captain's disappearance and of Kenpachi's pursuit.

This was the sight that InuYasha and his vice captain were met with as they entered the small cafe, Komamura right behind.

"What's going on?" InuYasha questioned, looking at the three empty seats beside the pipsqueak lieutenant. No one answered his question as they moved to their seats, and he sat down beside his friend Komamura more than slightly disgruntled, especially after yesterday's battle.

::-::-:: **::-::-::** ::-::-::

"Kagome," Sesshomaru murmured. "Listen to me now,"

Kagome was struggling, pushing and pulling trying to get away from Sesshomaru, who was holding her tightly to his chest. Kagome flailed wildly, seemingly not recognizing when she came into contact with something else.

"Let me go," she said stubbornly, voice throaty and raw.

"Listen to me," Sesshomaru demanded, moving faster through the streets. He needed to find a large open space, but he had little knowledge of the surrounding area. Glancing around, he looked up to the large area that overlooked a large portion of the city, and at the large scaffold that stood there, grand and menacing.

"—no! Let me go! Ahh-!" Kagome faltered as a particularly evil burst of power ripped its way through her forehead, searing into Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru flinched, but held strong. The Shikon was powerful, that much was certain. Kagome had worked hard for a very, very long time trying to control and pacify the jewel that had been bound to her soul.

"Sesshomaru, listen to me," she said. "You have to let me go. I have to release the power that's building up, or else it'll all be over,"

Sesshomaru didn't repond, but merely continued to the scaffold.

"You have to come up with some kind of excuse too," she groaned. "For the power and the destruction and-" Kagome was cut off as the Shikon pulsed angrily, beginning to manifest in the center of her forehead.

"Leave it to me," Sesshomaru murmured, pushing himself faster.

::-::-:: **::-::-::** ::-::-::

"Ichigo," someone's voice was calling his name. Fear welled up in him like bile- _Please, no, don't let it be her-_

"Here, let me try- ICHIGO--!"

A sharp pain in his side, followed by a pain in his face welcomed Ichigo back into the land of the conscious. As he rolled away from the wall that he had been kicked into, he turned back to a sheepish Orihime, and a gleeful Yoriuchi.

"What the HELL was that FOR?!" Ichigo rubbed his nose as he clambered to his feet.

"Shut for a second, strawberry." Yoriuchi said. "And listen."

Ichigo stood silent, but all he could hear was the breathing of his friends. "What the fu-" Yoriuchi snapped a hand over his mouth, appearing beside him in an instant.

"I didn't say listen with your ears, did I?" she grinned. "You've got more than one sense- jeez, be more creative."

"Listen does imply the use of your ears, Yoriuchi." Urahara pointed out.

"Whatever," she huffed. "_Feel_, then."

And as Ichigo focused his attention on their surroundings, all of a sudden he did. There was a startlingly familiar, malicious presence approaching them fast. Given, they were fairly deep underground and the power source was likely above them, it was spine-chilling.

And familiar. Familliar... familiar... fami-

"I know that presence," Ichigo breathed. It had been haunting him, like a ghost. That girl that he saw in his dreams- then that evil monster, and the creature that they were searching for... somehow, Ichigo realized that they were all connected.

"What? How is that possible?" Uryu questioned, crossing his arms.

"It just is," Ichigo breathed, before taking off towards the long flight of stairs that would take them to the surface. A rumbling knocked everyone to their feet, and it was accompanied by a shrill screaming sound that had even Urahara cringing in pain. Several rocks crumbled down from the ceiling, though luckily none of them were nearby to where they were standing.

"Hurry!"

::-::-:: **::-::-::** ::-::-::

Kagome forced herself off Sesshomaru, and fell to the ground, tumbling and rolling as she controlled her fall. Her mask was almost complete on her face, and the Shikon was pulsing in her forehead, dark waves of power rolling.

_**He deserves to die!**_

_Naraku..._

_**He would use us for his own personal gain. For all the pain he caused! The death and destruction he left behind!**_

_He's here, as the captain of the fifth division. How is that possible? Shouldn't he have been cast into hell...?_

_**We will do it ourselves!**_

_We were only here for InuYasha... _

_**But while we're at it-**_

_InuYasha doesn't remember anything- who's to say Naraku does?_

_**You would defend that monster--?!**_

_I cannot hate myself now, can I?_

_**We are not a monster. This is what you and I were destined for.**_

_You're right. I'm not the monster- you are._

_**Be SILENT!**_

_I take care of you; I have allowed you free reign, and you have caused your own mischief and destruction. What difference is there?_

_**Such insolence... even after all that we have done for you. We will KILL him!**_

Kagome was thrust out of consciousness with such ferocity that her body went flying back all on it's own. Sesshomaru approached her figure as she lay, face down, on the ground, when suddenly, a dark power pulsed from her form.

"Kagome..." his voice was quiet. Releasing his form, a crescent moon and ragged stripes appeared on his face. White fur rippled across his skin as his face elongated.

"_Sesshomaru, old friend,"_ a voice, too eerie and dark to be Kagome's left her mouth.

"The Shikon, I presume," he commented, pausing his transformation so he could speak.

"_I have been long overdue to control this body,"_ the voice continued. _"And while I am here, I will kill you along with Naraku and InuYasha for all the pain and suffering you have caused my host."_

"Do not pretend that you are doing this for Kagome," Sesshomaru spat. "You have become corrupt, and Kagome is becoming affected by it as well. If one of us does not leave here, it will be _you._"

"_How do you kill a bobble, Sesshomaru?"_ Kagome's body rose to her feet, mask covering her face and her hooked broadsword in her hands. _"We all know what will happen if you hit us- I will simply shatter, and cause even more grief than last time. And this time, I fear poor Kagome will not survive the ordeal._"

"We shall see," Sesshomaru's words were stolen away by a massive gust of wind as it surrounded his form, and his eyes bled red.

::-::-:: **::-::-::** ::-::-::

"What the hell is that?!" Soifon jumped to her feet. Everyone in the room stilled at the massive influx of power. Almost immeadiately:

_Hollow Alert! Hollow Alert!_

A cacophony of alarms echoed through the room, as the presences were picked up upon.

"Everyone, battle stations," Yamamoto spoke as he rose. "If this is Aizen, then we will stop him. Do not engage until you have been attacked first, understood?"

"Hai, sou-taicho!"

The captains and their lieutenants dashed off, leaving half-eaten eggs and cold coffee and tea behind.

"Kenny---! Wait for me!" Yachiru shouted, laughing maniacally even though Kenpachi had disappeared over ten minutes ago.

Meanwhile, Kenpachi watched the massive form appear on the top of the cliff, standing almost as tall as the scaffold. A giant hollow in the shape of a dog let loose a vicious snarl that rumbled the tiles of the roof beneath him. Accompanying the growl came a haunting howling scream, which made him wince.

Something was going on up there, and already he was itching to be a part of it. Sliding his zanpakuto out of it's sheath, Kenpachi rushed towards the giant hollow with adrenaline coursing like fire through his veins.

**To Be Continued...**

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**A/N:** And introducing the last mystery captain... NARAKU!!! Whoooooooooooo-

So, tell me honestly... who saw that coming? I bet you all thought it was going to be someone like Sango... because really, that's all who's left, right? Or Shippo... but let me tell you, I've got plans for those two, too. Not to worry! Also, there have been some questions about Hinamori, Kira, and (although not specifically) Shuhei. Their positions will also be explained, not to fear! Next chapter, Kagome and Sesshomaru duke it out in their Hollow forms!!

In case anyone was interested, here are the standings for all the Divisions, and their assistants and other members, ect...

1 – Capt. Yamamoto with VC. Sasakibe

2 – Capt. Soifon with VC. Omaeda

3 – Capt. Kagome with VC. Sesshomaru and third seat Miroku (Kira is still a part of this division, but his role will be explained later.)

4 – Capt. Unohana with VC. Isane Kotetsu (As well as a special InuYasha guest, who will be introduced later on-!)

5 – Capt. Naraku with VC. Hinamori, (As will as some more special InuYasha guests to be introduced later!)

6 – Capt. Byakuya with VC. Renji

7 – Capt. Komamura with VC. Iba

8 – Capt. Shunsui Kyoraku with VC. Nanao Ise

9 – Capt. InuYasha with VC. (NYAH! I'm not telling you who is VC is yet!) (Shuhei will also remain in this division)

10 – Capt. Toshiro Hitsugaya with VC. Rangiku Matsumoto

11 – Capt. Kenpachi Zaraki with VC. Yachiru (Annnnd! Another special InuYasha guest to be introduced later!)

12 – Capt. Mayuri Kurotsuchi with VC. Nemu (AND ANOTHER IY GUEST!)

13 – Capt. Jushiro Ukitake with seats Kiyone and Sentaro (Rukia will return to service on this squad as well)

Anyways... I hope that helps... and I hope that gets you excited to find out what happens next!!! You can tell me just how you feel about all this information in a REVIEW! YAY! Haha. Although I have tentatively sketched in a handful of IY characters, there may be more that will be added, as well. So you know, and all. :D Have fun guessing who's who!

**ancient-relic**


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